


The Future I want with you

by Unseen_MrStanton



Series: Star Wars My Episode IX: Age of Zephra [2]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Family Bonding, Finn and Rey are Married in the Present, Finn and Rey are in love, Flashbacks, Force-Sensitive Finn, Kylo Ren is a murdering Bastard, Married Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2019-05-16 16:21:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 26,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14814740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unseen_MrStanton/pseuds/Unseen_MrStanton
Summary: 4 years ago, the First order came close to gaining complete control over the Galaxy, but thanks to the efforts of the Resistance and the new Jedi, their plan to dominate the Galaxy never comes to fruition.Here's the tale of how they've entered into what's known as 'The Age of Zephra'!





	1. A Fear that grips the Galaxy (Revised)

**Author's Note:**

> It just came to me, y'know? Sequel to 'Has Love Bloomed on the Battlefield?' Hope you enjoy it!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four years ago... Part 1 of ?
> 
>  
> 
> _Heavily revised!_  
>  _Work in Progress_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going back to do some serious rewriting here!

_4 Years ago, The Supreme Leader of the First Order, Kylo Ren demanded that his Knights locate and eliminate any and all individuals who didn't support his assuming the title, including any Storm Troopers. Within 2 years, after the battle of Crait, the Galaxy shuddered at the thought of even insulting Kylo silently for fear that he would instantly appear and behead them._

_Of Course, all this irrational fear stems from his desire to see the Resistance destroyed and the last of any Force Sensitive/Users be put to death. And those two poor souls, Finn and Rey, who have been in his crosshairs for the past two years._

* * *

_Speaking of Finn and Rey, knowing that the whole Galaxy is keeping it's eyes open for them, decided to go on the run from the First Order while the resistance gathers enough support to actually wage their 'Final War' Against Kylo Ren._

_But, things have been tense between the two of them, especially after Finn found out that Rey tried to bring Kylo Ren back towards the light, resulting in him 'trying to seduce' Rey into join him and ruling the galaxy, and her rejecting him. Rey doesn't like the idea of Finn (Possibly) being angry with her, especially after the two of them shared their first kiss. Everytime she tries to talk to him, he'll... maybe say a few words back, but he always avoids eye contact. He's never rude or outright disrespectfully of her, but he doesn't even bother to really engage with her, not on the subject of 'Ben'._

_Tired of the silent treatment, Rey corners Finn, asking him to just say whatever he's thinking about her. About this whole situation._

_Finally, after taking a deep breath, Finn turns to her and asks 'What were you thinking, Rey? Kylo Ren kidnapped you, violated you, tortured you, even tried to kill you, and you thought that there was still some good left in him? Look, when you told me about how hopeless you felt after the cave on Ach-to, I knew that you were just desperately looking for an answer. But, him?! Kylo Ren? That murdering Bastard?! And, you just handed yourself over to him? Why?! Why would you do that?!'_

_'I had to do something, Finn!' Rey yells. She walks away from her, running her fingers through her hair. 'Master Skywalker spend the entire time ridiculing me and putting me down at every turn. I felt like such a failure. Everyone was counting on me to bring Skywalker back. And I just couldn't. The guilt just ate him alive and he didn't want to shoulder the responsible of bringing the Jedi back again. He... He was so afraid of training another Kylo Ren that he shunned me once he knew just how strong I am in the Force. He was so determined to get rid of me, that he didn't even bother to teach me anything beyond the two lessons he already taught me. There was one more that I was suppose to know about. And he just refused to do anymore. I was left with nothing! No idea how I was gonna break the news of how I failed everyone. And with the First Order out for blood, I was going to lose everyone that I had come to care about: The Resistance, General Organa, you. I had to do something. And in my desperation, the Darkside on the Island showed me what I had secretly wanted along: For someone else to save the galaxy. I saw Kylo Ren as the beacon of hope. I wanted to see him as a beacon of hope. So, I went to try and convince him to join us. But, really, the Darkside tried to convince_ me _to join_ him _. I almost realized that too late.' Rey sighs. 'You don't understand what it feels like to be so desperate, to be so dishearten to have so many lives to be cut down because you couldn't do the one thing that could save so many.'_

_'You're wrong.' Finn says. 'I do know what that feels like. That how I felt that first night at that village on Jakku. And, looking back, I admit it. I thought running was my only option. I've seen firsthand at what the First Order is capable of. And going against them was a fight that no one was going to win. But, after seeing what they did to the Hosnian System, I knew I couldn't run away anymore. It didn't matter how fast or how far, the First Order was on the warpath and I was going to have to deal with it sooner or later.'_

_Rey's eyes widen as she listens to what Finn had to say. That's right! She remembers seeing just the heartbreaking fear in his eyes went he was leaving Takodana. So, he does know. 'So, then... how can you just stand there and accuse me of doing something you yourself had done two years ago?'_

_'I wasn't...' Finn sighs. 'I wasn't judging you. I just don't understand how you could trust him with anything. Especially, after what he did to Han. To me! Han pleaded with Kylo to leave the First Order and come home. But, Kylo answers him with his lightsaber right through his chest. I know just how much that saber burns. It was the same thing he did to me. So, when I heard you say that you thought of him as the final hope for the galaxy, it just left me speechless. And then, to hear that you went to him, looking for an ally, it breaks my heart. In what world is he anyone's hero? He's killed billions of people, including his own Father, his Mother, almost killed the both of us and if Luke was actually standing there in front of him, he would've killed him, too. So, why? Why in the world would you think this was a good idea?'_

_Understanding his frustration, but not liking being reminded on how the Dark side blinded her to the truth that was right in front of her, she instead shoves him angrily and storms out of the Falcon, to get away from Finn. Running through the Konlorn Jungles, Rey fights so hard to keep her tears from streaming down her face, but ultimately fails and collapses on the ground, crying. She didn't mean for anyone to get hurt. She just wanted to help protect Finn and the Resistance. And Kylo Ren seemed to be the answer she looking for. Unfortunately, whatever she thought she saw in him was nothing but lies thought up by him to try and sway her to abandon everything she's grown to care about and join him. It wouldn't be so bad, except for the fact that he almost succeeded._

_Seeing him kill Snoke gave her so much hope that everything would be alright only for it all to crumble right before her eyes when Kylo said that 'she was nothing.' And, now that she's all alone, with nothing but her thoughts and bad memories to keep her company, Rey just cries. She's so lost right now. She needs someone to pull her back from the brink._

_'Shhhh. It's alright.' A familiar voice says gently._

_Rey looks up to see a blue spirit, standing over her. and, though her tears are obscuring her vision right now, she knows that voice anywhere. 'Master Skywalker.'_

_Luke's Force Spirit smiles at her._

_'But, how? How are you here?' Rey pushes herself up on her hands to get a better view._

_Luke steps closer to her. 'The Force. After, I reconnected myself to it, I was able to join my masters as a Force Spirit. I've learned so much, and I've made so many mistakes. Especially, the way I've been treating you. And for that, I could never say "I'm sorry" enough.' Luke kneels down in front of her. "I can only hope that... you an found it in your heart to forgive me and to let me help you. I won't let you down this time. I swear it!'_

_Rey, still crying, shakes her head. 'No. I'm sorry. I should've known that Ben... Kylo was lying. But, I was just so desperate to find an answer that...'_

_'No, no, no! Rey... You don't have anything to be sorry about. I thought that it was easier to push you away, hoping that I would never have to deal with another young soul being taken at the hands of Ben or Snoke or anyone else. It was easier to pretend not to care, and I just sent you right into Kylo Ren's waiting grasp anyway. You don't need to apologize to me. But, if you're still willing to learn the ways of the Force, I'm ready to teach you now.'_

_Rey takes a deep breath and wipes her face. 'Yes, please. I need your help. Show me everything that I still need to know. Guide me. I'm grateful for anything you can share with me.'_

_Luke beams as he nods his head. 'I'd be happy to.' But then, he quickly looks up over Rey's shoulder to see a baffled Finn slowly approaching behind her._

_'Rey?' Finn calls out._

_Rey then whips her head in the direction of Finn's voice, and her eyes go wide._

_'Skywalker? How...? How is he here?' Finn asks._

_Rey looks back at Luke and then back at Finn. She turns her body so that she can look at him so that she doesn't strain her neck. Luke rises to his feet, mouth hanging open in amazement._

_'Finn... You can see him?' Rey asks._

_'Yeah. He's standing right there.' Finn says. 'But, I thought he died. How is her here? And why is he so... blue?'_

_'Fascinating!' Luke comments. 'I could never have imagined Rey being so strong in the Force. But, you... Who are you?'_

_'I'm...' Finn looks down at Rey and she gives him this look of complete adornment. Like she's looking at something so beautiful and she can't help but smile at him. Finn looks back up at Luke. 'I'm... just...' Finn sighs. 'I'm just... Finn.'_

_'No, no. I know there's more to it then that.' Luke approaches Finn, who takes a step back. Luke gets right in Finn's face and looks him down in the eyes. 'Hmm. Your eyes. I see no fear in them. Just a need to understand something. What do you know of the Force?'_

_'Not much. If anything. Everytime I think I'm learning about the Force, I find out that the Force doesn't work like that. So, yeah... I know nothing about it.'_

_Luke chuckles._

_'Did I say something funny?' Finn questions._

_'Honesty. I respect that about you.' Luke looks back at Rey. 'I can see why you look at him that way. There's not a hint of Malice to be found in him. No matter how hard Snoke tried to break him.'_

_'What?' Finn and Rey both give him shocked expressions. 'How do you know I was a Storm Trooper?'_

_'I can tell that you've been put through so much pain and reconditioning. But, you're heart... Your Soul remains pure. Untouched by the Darkside still. The only explanation is that not only do you have a connection to the Force. But, you also have a solid foundation in the light. Hmm! This is extraordinary! Never would I have thought of coming into contact with two young people, so strong in the Force._ _'_

_Finn chuckles nervously. 'No, I don't... I don't know what you think you know about me, but I don't have the Force inside me. I'm not like you or Rey.'_

_The Look in Rey's eyes is now sad. It hurts Rey that Finn thinks so little of himself._

_'The Force is all around us.' Luke comments. 'It binds us and penetrates us. It holds the Galaxy together. And it has a will of it's own. So, from a certain point of view, you do have the Force inside of you. And I know that you're pretty strong in it, otherwise you and I wouldn't be having this talk. Me, being a ghost and all.'_

_Everything Luke just told Finn hits him like a war ship, jumping into lightspeed. His mouth hangs open with a look of shock and realization. 'Huh.' Is all Finn can really say._

_"Hmm... I wonder now if you're connection with Rey has anything to do with you being so strong?' Luke walks passed him and Finn looks after him. He closes his mouth and frowns as he thinks on what he was just told about the Force._

_Rey walks up beside him. 'Finn. What are you doing out here?'_

_Finn looks at her and shakes his head. 'Oh! I wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn't mean to upset you. I was... just worried. I've known Kylo Ren for a long time. I know what kind of man he is. So, I was just couldn't figured out why you went to him for help. It wasn't my intention to hurt your feelings. But, it did feel like you were carelessly just disregarding what he had done. Almost like you were betraying us.'_

_'Finn, you know that I would never betray you!' Rey says._

_'I do know that!' Finn says instantly. 'I do know that! But, in my heart, that's what it felt like it was. But, I should've known better. I should have given you more credit for being_

_Rey reaches for Finn's hand this time. 'Well, you know the whole reason why I went to him wasn't because I wanted to be with him.'_

_'Well, I did kinda figure that out.' Finn says. 'But, you needed someone to help turn the tables on the First Order. I get it.'_

_'True.' Rey says, as she comes even closer into Finn's personal space. '...but, that's not all.'_

_'No?' Finn asks._

_'No.' Rey answers._

_'Then, why?' Finn asks._

_'So, I could get back to you sooner.' Rey says._

_Finn looks at her with a look of affection. 'Really?'_

_'Yes, really.' Rey chuckles. 'Y'know, it wasn't until after I found out about my connection to the Force that I realized that I made a big mistake. I should've left with you. In fact, I went looking for you after I left Maz's castle.'_

_'You did?' Finn asks, gently tightening his grip on her hand._

_'Of course, I did!' Rey says. 'You were my first friend and I didn't want to lose you. But, after seeing those Force visions, I knew I couldn't. So, I run after you. But, I couldn't find you. And after meeting Kylo Ren, I knew... I knew that I was never going to see you again.'_

_'But, you did.' Finn says._

_'Yes.' Rey smiles, resting her forehead up against Finn's. 'When you came back for me on Starkiller.'_

_'I couldn't leave you there.' Finn says. 'Knowing what they do to their prisoners, I just couldn't.'_

_'So, then you can imagine how I felt what with feeling so hopeless and knowing that the First Order had you all in their sights in space.' Rey says. She looks at him under her eyelashes._

_Finn smiles and nods. 'I see your point.'_

_'Yeah. Now, knowing that Kylo was determined to stay in the Darkside, It was something I had to learn on my own, but, I'm actually glad I did.'_

_Finn looks at her confused. 'You are? Why?'_

_Rey smirks as she shakes her head. 'Like I told you two years ago, I realize that Kylo Ren was looking to use me to further his own goal when he said that I meant nothing to anyone, except him. He tried to make it sound like a compliment, but I knew then that he didn't care about me. So, I guess what I'm saying is that I needed to see for myself the kind of man he is. And not the thing he was pretending to be.'_

_Finn nods his head before looking off in the distance._

_Rey looks back at him and smiles. 'And there's something else.'_

_Finn whips his head back at her, seeing her smile as she looks him in the eye._

_'I also needed to see for myself the way a real hero looks like. But, in the last two years, I've also learned how a real man loves his woman.' Rey blushes._

_Finn gives her a knowing smile. 'And are you glad you stuck around?'_

_'I did.' Rey answers. 'I do everyday.'_

_'I'm glad, too.' Finn and Rey close in. But, before their lips could touch..._

_...Luke clears his throat. Finn and Rey immediately look in his distance. 'Just so you both know, I'm still standing here.'_

_Finn and Rey giggle nervously at each other._

_Luke turns away and keeps walking. 'Right. Well, if you two are done with the misty-eyed confessions, may we begin our training?' He smiles._

_'Yes, Master Skywalker. Of Course.' Rey says._

* * *

_Across the Galaxy, on Bespin, Poe Dameron, De-Facto Leader of the Resistance meets with Lando Calrissian and Maz Kanata, who have been hiding him, Jessika Pava, Temmin "Snap" Wexley, Rose Tico, and Connix._

_Other surviving Resistance members have broken off from this group to hide, rest, resupply, and build up their own pockets of Resistance Fighters, gearing up for, hopefully, the final war._

_The situation, as they understand it, is that things are dire all across the Galaxy. Nowhere is stay right now. Anyone who's even suspended of aiding Kylo Ren's enemies are put to death. Not limiting to Civilians, but also Storm troopers as well. And, after what happened to Leia last year, her trying to pull Kylo away from the scent of Poe's team, resulting in Kylo Ren, personally shooting down her ship himself, No one can live anything to chance._

_So, they work on their Strategy and make their preparations for their new fleet._

_Caught up with the recent reports, Rose promptly asks if anyone heard anything about Finn._

_'...And Rey?' Maz throws out. 'No. Not a word.'_

_Begrudgingly, Rose mutters. 'Fucking Rey.'_

* * *

_On his personal Ship,_ "The Reckoning" _, Kylo Ren sits on the floor, lost in deep meditation. Images of Rey rejecting his offer to join him, His uncle's light saber exploding, and the last look Rey gave him before weakening their bond flashed in his mind. He was going to find her. He was going to keep his promise to his Uncle that he was going to end everything. And he was going to start with that Traitor, FN-2187. Or as Rey calls him, "Finn"._

' _Zephra!' Kylo calls out to the only other person in the room, donning a mask and cloak. 'I need you to probe my mind again. I need you to find the location of the desert girl and her pet.'_

_Zephra approaches him, kneeling down to him and moves her right hand right above his head. She isn't actually touching him. Her hand is just hovering inches above him._

_Searching through all the memories (excluding the ones he doesn't want her to see, of course), She tries to pinpoint the last thing Kylo saw before his Force Bond with Rey died completely._

_'My Lord. Your thoughts are too chaotic. I need you to focus on that last image. The one you saw her kissing FN-2187.'_

_Scowling, Ben closes his eyes and does as Zephra requests._

_'I see... A valley surrounded by Jungle. Baddas nestling in giant Gaia trees. Spiras flying as they stalk their prey deep in the bushes. And I see...' Zephra pauses when she sees The Force Ghost, formerly known as Luke Skywalker._

_'You see...' Kylo asks impatiently._

_'Ah! Yes! The Desmore River! Konlorn! They're on Konlorn!'_

_'Varamoth!' Kylo calls out to another Knight of Ren through the Force. 'I know where their hiding! Have the Captain set course for the Konlorn System!'_

_'Yes, my Lord!' Varamoth promises._

_Kylo Ren storms out of his room, leaving Zephra standing there. 'Your Welcome!' She says under her breath._

* * *

_Back on Konlorn, Luke trains both Finn and Rey on how to mediate and see things through the Force, he shows them different fighting positions, and how to allow the Force to fill through them and let it guide them._

_Finn's been put through grueling training before. And, while it's difficult to learn how to tap into the Force, it was every bit as enlightening as it was informative._

_Never have three weeks gone by in such a short time._

_One night, as they relax after a long day of running drills, Finn rests under a tree, staring up at the stars in the sky and listen to the creatures as they go about their own business. Finn's never really had a chance to even think about anything other than First Order Affairs. He's never really considered to wonder or even notice all the beauty that was the galaxy itself. So much life. So much activity. I kind of made him wonder as he stared up into the Gaia trees, that so many of these creatures, plants, and oceans have all been here before Finn was born and they'll be here long after he's gone. For the first time in a long time, Finn seriously starts to think about what the future has in store for him. 'I hope that whatever ahead, Rey'll be here for it.' He thinks to himself._

_As if on cue... 'Finn! There you are!' Rey says. 'I've been looking for you.'_

_'Oh! Hey!' Finn says as Rey kneels in between his legs, resting her body against his own. "What's going on?'_

_'I just heard from Chewie that Poe and the others are alright, but things are only getting worse for the rest of the Outer rim.'_

_'How so?' Finn ponders._

_'Well, it seems that the Knights of Ren aren't taking any prisoners. Any and every one who's believed to be an enemy of the First Order is put down right then and there. Not even the Storm troopers are safe anymore.'_

_'What?!' Finn says, sounding shocked. 'They're targeting their own troops now, too?!'_

_'Sounds like it. Kylo's losing it. It's only_ _a matter of time before he finds me again. And even though I can feel that our Force Bond is severed, I know he's still out there, closing in. Well, Whenever he shows up here, I'll be waiting for him.'_

_'WE'LL be waiting.' Finn corrects. 'And we'll be ready.'_

_Rey smiles gratefully. She then withdraws her head from Finn's chest and looks him in the eye. 'So, what were you thinking about before I found you?'_

_'Time.' Finn says. Rey frowns, not understanding. 'I've been looking at all these things around us: The Stars, the trees, the Oceans, the Creatures. All of them have been around for hundreds of years. Maybe even thousands. And they'll continue to survive, even after our bodies turn to dust. But, do you know what else has been around?'_

_Rey shakes her head._

_'War.' Finn frowns. 'Through war, nothing is really resulted. It only speeds up the death toll of so many people, plants, and things. If Kylo Ren and his Knights and the First Order aren't stopped, then all of this would share the same fate as so many others. Like those in the Hosnian System.'_

_Rey saddens when she thinks about it._

_'So many lives lost. So much history never to be shared or learned. It's up to us, not just you and me. But, also those who refuse to living on their knees and would rather die on their feet, fighting. It's only with all of us working together that we can protect the Futures of so many.' Finn leans in close to Rey, gently putting a finger under her chin and lifting her head up so that she can see him. 'But, what's the point of fighting for the future if the one person you want to spend yours with, isn't even there to see it.'_

_'Finn? What are you saying?' Rey asks, staring him in the eye._

_'I'm saying that if here and now is all we have left, then I say we shouldn't waste it.'_

_Rey feels her eyes sting with tears._

_'I'm confidant that we'll beat the First Order. I know it. I feel in my bones. But, I don't know if we'll be here to see it happen. So, if Kylo Ren is headed here, looking for a fight, then I'm staying with you.'_

_Rey cups Finn's face and kisses his lips passionately. 'Finn. I don't know how you do it, but that really makes me wanna feel alive!'_

_'Me, too!' Finn laugh as he pulls Rey in for another kiss._

_'And, you're right! We WILL win this! And I want us both to be there went it happens. So, please Finn... Please, my love. Make sure that you do everything you can to survive this.'_

_'I'll make you that promise if you swear the same thing.'_

_Rey nods her head. 'I swear.'_

_They kiss each other passionately, resulting in clothes being ripped off, Kissing and biting, sounds of intimate pleasure and the first real experience of love that either one of them have ever truly had. They never disrobe. They keep their clothing on. So, they never really allow themselves to cross into the territory of passionate lovemaking. But, they were planning to! Oh, yeah! you better believe they'll do their damnest to make it out alive when the war is over!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and share your thoughts!


	2. The Battle for Konlorn (Revised)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four Years Ago... Part 2 of 4.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! The ending may upset some folks!

_The next morning, Chewie contacts Rey, waking them up, that Kylo Ren's War Ship,_ "The Reckoning" _has arrived on Konlorn._

_After untangling them from one another, they report back to Chewie to pick them up, but he says he wants to fight. They try and remind him that they don't have any weapons and can't really defend themselves or help Chewie. But, Chewie isn't listening and signs off. It's clear that Chewie is hellbent on getting revenge for Han._

_Worried, Finn and Rey run to a high mountain peak, trying to see if they can get a better view of the arriving starships in the sky. From where they're standing, Chewie was about to wage a one ship war against a single ship that suddenly became a fleet._

_After he fires the first shot, the Fleet instantly opens up on him._

_Rey radios to BB8, telling him to alert the all of the other reprogrammed First Order Droids to prepare the Konlorn Base for immediate Counterattack. After BB-8 beeps affirmatively, Rey and Finn sprint in the Base's direction._

* * *

_On the "_ The Reckoning" _, Kylo orders Zephra to zero in on Rey's location. He doesn't want to leave the ship until he knows exactly where she is. He may not be able to sense her anymore, but the same cannot be said about her sensing him._

_Zephra nods and closes her eyes, going into a meditative state. Kylo turns his attention back on the battle._

* * *

_Chewie makes great use of the surrounding area, using the Gaia trees and tall rock formations for any enemy Tie fighters, who can't bank in time to crash and burn. He also uses the firing Tie Fighters to fire on_ "The Reckoning" _when he flies dangerously close to Kylo's war ship._

* * *

_On the ground, Finn and Rey runs the terrain, keeping an eye on the battle in the sky and on the_ Millennium Falcon _. All around them, the creatures in the jungle are going insane. Running or swinging away as Tie Fighters drop out of the sky._  

_Adrenaline pumping, Finn and Rey double time it to the base when Rey comes to a sudden stop. She looks around, as if she heard or saw something._

_Finn, noticing that Rey isn't at his side anymore, turns to see her standing there in the Jungle clearing. Before he can ask her what's wrong, he suddenly begins to sense... something. He also begins to search the area, trying to get eyes on whoever's reaching out to them through the Force._

_Someone-a woman, seems like- is looking for them. And, like a blip on a radar, it seems like she may have find them._

_Not wanting to waste another moment out in the clearing with no weapons, Finn and Rey resume their trek towards the base._

* * *

_Zephra's eyes shoot open when she realizes that not only has Rey detected her, but also that the traitor, FN-2187, is also strong in the force and has also pick her up in the force._

_"Do you have her?" Kylo Ren asks, demanding to know._

_"Yes, Supreme Leader." Zephra answers. "She's standing at the entrance of a temple hidden somewhere in the Jungle."_

_"I need more than that,_ Zephra _!" Kylo spits. "Where exactly?! What's the surrounding area look like?! I thought you could see into a person's head and look through their eyes!!"_

_Frowning but not looking in Kylo's direction, Zephra closes her eyes again and tries forcefully to look into Rey's mind. She's not successful._

_"I can't. She's too strong!" Zephra says._

_"DAMMIT!!" Kylo spits. "What about the bastard, FN-2187?!"_

_"Nothing on that front either." Zephra says. "He was never bonded to you. So, I can't get a lock on him."_

_"Worthless!" Kylo spits as he walks back over to the war room's windows. "You're all so USELESS!!!" Kylo looks down at the surrounding jungle. "What's the matter, Zephra?! You can't use the creatures down there to locate them?"_

_"I've been trying, my Lord! To no avail. There are too many of them and they are all afraid. Even if they've seen the girl, I won't to able to track her, unless we're on the ground."_

_"What was the point of bringing you onto my ship?!" Kylo wonders. "For two years, you couldn't so much as find a Resistance fighter. Now, you can find a desert rat in the jungle?! You're fucking worthless, Woman!"_

_Fed up with his constant abuse, Zephra gets to her feet, and storms over to Kylo. "Well, unlike you, Solo! I've silence Force users! You couldn't even tell that Skywalker wasn't even standing in front of you on Crait! And YOU call me 'WORTHLESS?!' And there's no need to be insulting since you're the one who lost to her! She held that Saber for all of 5 seconds, and she made you crawl away like a wounded child! Snoke must've been proud..."_

_Kylo back hands her. She falls to the floor hard, hitting the right side of her face onto the cold metal floor. "You watch your mouth, Wretch! And you remember who you're addressing!" Kylo stands over Zephra as she wipes the blood off of her lips. he circles her like death circles the living. "Did you really forget that I not only spared you, but I made you a Knight? You're only still drawing breath, because I could see you becoming something that could reshape the Galaxy into what it needs to be! But, right now, you're are acting like an entitled whore! Don't you EVER make that mistake again!"_

_Kylo holds her hand out and chokes Zephra with the Force. Zephra clutches her throat, like she's trying to remove something from being wrapped around her neck. Kylo raises his hand and therefore, raises Zephra up into the air. Zephra stares down at him in fear. "In fact. I may have been mistaken. Maybe keeping_ YOU _alive wasn't the right answer. What do you think? Should I have killed you along with the other of Skywalker's student? Is that what you're telling me?!"_

_Zephra frantically shakes her head 'no', because she cannot form words with her voice._

_"That was a question, Zephra! Do you want to join your fellow Jedi into an early grave?!"_

_"No!" Zephra chocks out. "No! Please!"_

_Kylo then drops Zephra hard onto her knees and she pants heavily, trying to get air._

_"There will be no moment in your life that will be as critical as it is right now!" Kylo summons his lightsaber to his hand. "You have one minute to prove that I made the right choice in sparing your life! ONE minute! And, if you can't prove your worth to me right now, you won't to worry about breathing ever again, because you won't have a head!" Kylo steps closer to Zephra, standing with the saber hovering in the air, ready to cut her head right off her shoulders. "Now..."_

_Zephra closes her eyes again and tries her hardest to zero in on Rey. She breathing is labor, as she tries her absolute damnedest, as her life is literally in Kylo's hand._

'Supreme Leader!'  _A Voice calls out from a blue image of a storm trooper in the center of the room._

_"What is it?!" Kylo snares without looking at the projection._

'We've... lost sight of the  _Millennium Falcon.'_

_Kylo then turns his head to the right, glaring at the trooper. She backs up out of fear. "You lost the Millennium Falcon?" He says frustrated. "Has it left the Planet?"_

"Umm... N-... No, Sir. We believe it's still here." _The Female trooper says, her voice trembling._

_Kylo lowers his arm and turns to face her. "You believe?! Meaning you haven't got a clue? Is that correct?!"_

"Well... um..."

_"You have to think about it?!" Kylo roars. "YOU DON'T KNOW?!?!" Kylo rises his hand at the image of the storm trooper and she chokes, struggling to breath. She drops to her knees, wrapping her hand around her throat, just as Zephra had done before._

_Zephra looks on in horror as Kylo slowly chokes the life out of the female trooper._

"My Lord!"  _Varamoth appears, standing above the choking Storm trooper._ "Rey as well as FN-2187 are still here on Konlorn. Even if the Wookie left them behind, we wouldn't need it to find those two."  _Varamoth looks down at the trooper and frowns in concern._ "There's no need in ending this one's life. She has fought bravely and has been a faithful Soldier to the Knights of Ren. Please, My Lord. Spare her."

_Kylo looks between the two before lowering his hand. The Female Trooper breaths deeply as air reenters her lungs. Kylo frowns, keeping his eyes on the coughing trooper. She looks up at Varamoth and nods her head in appreciation. Varamoth offers her a hand and helps her up onto her feet._

_Kylo then holds up the index finger and his thumb and then quickly balls up his fist, snapping the trooper's neck. Her lifeless body hits the floor, sending a shock through both Zephra and Varamoth. They both look up at their Supreme Leader, who scoffs._

_"She died because she interrupted me with a meaningless report. her death was the only forgiveness for her own foolishness." Kylo then walks back over to Zephra and raises his hand yet again. "Remember my request, Zephra? One minute."_

_Zephra once again closes her eyes and scans the surrounding area beneath Kylo Ren's ship, searching desperately for any hints or sighs of Rey's whereabouts._

_After the first 15 seconds, Zephra flinches at the sound of Kylo Ren activating his light saber. Zephra begins to breath hard as she tries to ignore the heat of the blade as it leans in closely over her head._

"My Lord..."  _Varamoth says._

_"SHUT UP, VARAMOTH!!" Kylo Commands. "THIS IS HER TEST! HER ONLY CHANCE TO REMIND ME OF WHY I SPARED HER! 25 SECONDS, ZEPHRA!!!"_

_Zephra can see into the visions of the many creatures inhabiting the planet. The Shardies, The Ruskers, The Thrussells! They all growl or caw out of terror as they vacate the area._

_"15 SECONDS, ZEPHRA!" Kylo roars._

_Zephra begins to whimper silently as she can now hear her heart beating violently in her ears. She can hear Kylo raises his light sabers, readying for the killing blow..._

_...But, then... Zephra can see them... Finn and Rey. Through the vision of a Thrussell flying over head, she can see them entering into a cave just five clicks south of their current location in the air._

_"Five clicks, south of our current location." Kylo's face softens at the news. He keeps his saber up, but he appears to have calm down. If only a little bit. I've seen them entering a temple hidden inside of an area, encircled by four Gaia trees."_

_Kylo drops his arm completely, deactivating his light saber._   _"So, it was neither your focus or abilities that were to be questioned, then. It was simply your motivation." Kylo turns to walk toward the panel on the opposite side of the room but stops. he looks down at Zephra once more. "I was wrong to doubt you, my apprentice. It won't happen again." He says softly before leaving her frightened on the floor._

_Varamoth walks over to her. And she stares at the back of Kylo's head, eyes red like fire with the desire to see him dead._

* * *

_Orders are given to the Stormtroopers: Launch an aerial assault on the temple base and annihilate all Resistance personnel, but bring the Jedi girl and the deserter back to the Supreme Leader. Location: five clicks due south._

_The Troopers shift their focus and converge onto the jungle temple._

* * *

_Inside the temple, Finn and Rey join with BB8, who tells them that the Storm troopers have found their hidden base and are on the offensive! Finn runs over to check the giant monitors hanging over a alter and sees the many Tie fighters firing at the Gaia trees in front of the Temple._

_BB8 asks if they should return fire and after a few seconds of silence from Finn, he gives the Droid the go ahead._

* * *

_Giant, motion sensing, auto cannons spring up from the top of the temple and begins to shoot Tie fighters out of the sky. Whatever Tie fighters don't explode in the air, they do explode when they hit the ground._

_The Tie fighters that manage to make it through the barrage of Cannon fire, are now targeting the temple cannon._

* * *

_The Temple shakes violently as it's hit with reckless laser hits. A bulky, former first order droids walks over to Rey and Finn, handing them both blasters, telling them just in case. As they holster their weapons, BB8 tells them that_ "The Reckoning" _is within range._

_Finn looks up at the monitors and yells 'Open Fire!'_

_Two dozen rockets are launched from launchers disguised as statutes in front of the temple. several are destroy any Tie fighters who happen to be in the place at the wrong time, but most of them find their mark._

* * *

_As Zephra and other stormtroopers struggle to stay on their feet after being hit, Kylo Ren doesn't even flinch as he stares down at the Temple on their monitor on the bridge._

_"Sir! We've taken some serious damage to the haul of our ship! One more hit, and we'll all be done for!"_

_"Keep the ship headed Straight!" Kylo orders._

_"But, Sir..."_

_"KEEP THE SHIP GOING FORWARD!!" Kylo yells impatiently. "Tie Fighters, find out where the cannons are and destroy them!"_

_A volley of 'Yessir!' and 'Roger that!' wash over the speakers. Zephra, standing at Kylo's left side, frowns and looks over at Varamoth, who's at Kylo's right and has been looking at her._

* * *

_Finding three of the nine cannons, the Storm troopers waste no time in reducing them to rubble._

* * *

_BB8 reports the situation. Finn frowns as he balls up his fist and grinds his teeth in frustration. Sensing his anger, Rey grabs his hand and tries to get him to relax, so that she could hold his hand._

_Finn looks up at her and sees her smiling brightly at him, which causes him exhale slowly and return her lovely smile with one of his own._

_Just then, Chewie finally reports in._

_"Chewie?!" Rey calls out. "Chewie! Thank the Maker! Where are you? Are you safe?"_

_Chewie roars softly, letting her know that he was fine._

_"I don't know how much of this you already know, but we're in some deep trouble down here!" Finn tells him._

_Chewie growls in acknowledge and tells them 'sit tight'._

_"Sit tight? That's your plan?" Finn wonders._

_Chewie growls affirmative._

_"What's he doing?" Rey asks, looking at Finn._

* * *

_From a cave in the mid section of a mountain, Chewbacca stands outside the millennium Falcon, and with his upgraded Bowcaster, he takes aim at_ "The Reckoning" _and fires, hitting it in it's underbelly._

* * *

_The Warship shakes again. This time, Kylo Ren seems concerned._

_"What just hit us?" Questions Varamoth._

_"I don't know." Comments Zephra._

_Kylo looks between the monitors and outside the bridge's windows. Keeping a sharp eye out for anything out there to expose itself._

"Sir!" _A Voice calls out._ "We've just destroyed the last of the enemies cannons!"

_"Well done, Trooper!" Kylo says with genuine gratefulness. "Well done!" He steps out to the control panel and pushes a button. "All Units! Prepare for a ground assault! Remember! Destroy all resistance Soldiers, but spare me the Jedi and Traitor!"_

_"Yessir! Understood!" The Voice says._

_"Zephra!" Kylo says. "You're coming with me! Varamoth, stay put! If anyone tries to escape, take them out!"_

_"Yes, my Lord!" Zephra and Varamoth says in unison._

* * *

_As the ship lowers just above ground, the bottom of the ships lowers like a platform and Stormtroopers get ready to hit the ground running._

* * *

_Chewie takes aim at the platform again and fires, killing most of the Stormtroopers standing there._

* * *

_Seeing this, Kylo traces that shot mentally, and realizes that it came from the mountains in the far distance._

_"Any Tie Fighters still flying, I want you all to fire on the mountain chain! Sending it crashing into the sea below!"_

_"Yessir!"_

_Kylo stands down off of the platform, keeping his eyes on the entire mountain range._

* * *

_Chewie see Kylo walking off of the platform and takes aim. Remembering for a moment of the little boy he once called his cub, he hesitates. Not wanting to harm the son of his long time friends, Han and Leia._

_But, the image of him killing Han, the thoughts of him almost killing Rey, Finn, Poe, and Luke (If Luke were physically standing there, Kylo would have cut him down, no question.) and Remembering that Han and Leia are gone because of him, He snaps out of it and takes aim again._

_That moment of lapse in hesitation has allowed the Tie fighters to converge on Chewie._

_Seeing them rapidly approaching, Chewie fires at Kylo and he stops the projectile in midair, just as he stopped Poe Dameron's bolt in midair the first time they met._

_Before Chewie could react, the Tie fighters were flying over head, forcing Chewie to retreat back into the cave._

* * *

" _Target sighted." A trooper reports._   _"Preparing to fire."_

_The Tie Fighters form a line over the mountain chain and they ready their rockets._

_"FIRE!"_

_The entire mountain chain is fired upon, causing debris to fly into the air. Within seconds, the mountain chain is being rendered into massive boulders, plummeting down into the Ouwong Sea._

_The Thrussells who made their nests up there are forced to abandon their eggs in favor of their own lives. Only a few Thrussells remain with their eggs, and many are killed as a result. But, there is no signs of Chewie or the_ Millennium Falcon _._

* * *

_"Chewie?" Rey calls out. "Chewie? Can you hear me?" Rey's eyes sting with tears. "Chew..." She fears the worst. She can even say his name anymore._

* * *

_Kylo looks on as the Mountains crash into the sea. "That settles that." he says. he then looks at all of the Storm troopers who are still alive and sprawled all over the jungle clearing. "Those of you who aren't dead, get back on your feet and carry out the mission."_

_The Troopers struggle to do as they ordered until Kylo yells 'NOW!!' and then suddenly, they get a spring in their step._

* * *

_They charge towards the temple, wondering if they're running into a trap, but not crazy even to question their Supreme Leader. Death awaited anyone who didn't move when he wanted them to move._

* * *

_Kylo faced the temple, the projectile that Chewie shut at him still hovering in the air. He then points the projectile at the temple and sends it flying, destroying the entrance along with the statue cannons._

* * *

_The Storm troopers run in, yelling a battle cry as they open fire at their old Droids. The Droids, along with Finn and Rey, who were standing on both sides of the entranceway, on top of what remains as a second story floor._

_But, instead of killing them, their weapons are shot out of their hands and their legs are blasted, pinning them down on the ground, leaving them at the mercy of the two Jedi and their Droid Army._

_Rey stands over one Trooper and points her blaster in their face. She has an anger scowl, and has every intention to kill them for killing Chewie. She begins to breath hard, psyching herself up to take the shot, but a hand falls on her blaster and she looks over to see Finn, looking at her with pleading eyes._

_"Finn..." Rey chokes out._

_"There's no need to go any further, Rey." Finn says. "Look at them." Rey does as Finn requests. The Troopers moan in pain, their armors in tatters, they struggle to catch their breath, and they all are filled with terror as they can see, plain as day, Rey's every desire to see them all die._

_"They're all beaten." Finn says. "Killing them is pointless. In fact, it would put us in the same league as Kylo Ren."_

_Rey looks up at Finn, hurt in her eyes. "But, they killed Chewie, Finn! We have to do this!"_

_"No, they didn't, Rey!" Finn says._

_Rey goes to argue with him, but stops when she feels Luke's presence suddenly appear beside her._

_"He is correct, Rey. Chewie is alive. He is just waiting for his chance. Just be patient with him."_

_Rey doesn't understand but she decides to trust Luke and Finn. For the longest time, Rey couldn't trust anyone, lest she winds up with nothing, taken advantage of, or maybe even dead. But, when it came to her friends, especially when it came to Finn, trust came easy. Because, she's had to learn that not everyone is looking to use or abuse her. Some people are there to help her. Stand by her in times of trouble and doubt. And comfort her when she needs it. She makes a quick mental reminder to 'thank' Finn for teaching her all of this, but later... When it's just the two of them._

* * *

_BB8 squeals as it faces the direction of the cave entranceway. Both Finn and Rey look to see Kylo Ren approaching them with his light saber activated._

_Both Finn and Rey raise their weapons, ready to fire. But then, Luke steps up to Kylo. He must be able to see him, but Kylo backs away, terror clearly seeping in his face._

_"Hello, Ben." Luke says._

_"You!" Kylo shouts. "How are you... You're not here." Kylo rationalizes. "You did this before. You're someplace else." He points his lightsaber at Luke. "I'll find you. And when I do, I'll kill you."_

_Luke sighs. "You strive to prove yourself to be the only one worthy of the Force. And yet, Still... Still you remain blind to what's right in front of you."_

_Luke steps up to Kylo and reaches out, placing his hand on Kylo's shoulder._

_Freaked out by this, Kylo backs away again and raises his lightsabers, holding it in both hands._

_"Why are you still so determined to remain in darkness? Has the deaths of your Father, your mother... Has any of it brought you the peace you've sought?"_

_"Be silent, Skywalker. Their lives... Your lives... are just a means to an end. The galaxy is mine to claim. Anyone foolish enough to get in between me and my legacy will be cut down. Just like my parents were. Just like you and your students..." He chuckles. "_ New _students will be."_

_He goes to charge at Rey and Finn, but Luke's hand phases into his chest._

_He stops, shuddering as what feels like a hand has gripped his heart._

_"Now is not their time." Luke says. "Now, is not YOUR time."_

_A bright light illuminates the room, causing Kylo to shield his eyes._

* * *

_Moments later, Kylo opens his eyes to see Zephra Ren and a bunch of Storm troopers looking at him as if they were looking at a fool._

_"My... Lord?" Zephra says in hesitation. "Are you alright? Our men are saying you were inches from killing the Desert girl and FN-2187, when you just... stopped and stood there. What's going on, my liege?"_

_"Sky... Skywalker. he was standing right here. I know he was standing right here. Where is he?" Kylo demanded._

_"My Lord. Skywalker wasn't here." A trooper corrects. "It was just the girl and '87. You just stood there and let them go, along with the droids."_

_"What?!" Kylo looks around. "Where are they?! Where did they go?!"_

* * *

_Kylo and Zephra are shown footage of Rey, Finn, BB8 and the other reprogrammed Droids just run pass Kylo as he stood there, with his arm carrying his face._

_"Are they still on Konlorn?" Kylo questions._

_"No... Sir. The Wookie... It survived our assault!"_

_Kylo looks at the trooper, his face screaming at him for an explanation._

_"He was hiding under some piles of rock. As we search for it, The Ship appeared out of the rubble and with it's... advanced forward shields, it just stunned us, knocking us right out of the sky."_

_Kylo bites down hard on his bottom lip. He does it so hard that's it's actually bleeding. "Alright. Commander, have your men search the rest of this temple as well as the surrounding area. If there's anything indicating where they all could have gone, I want to know about it."_

_Yessss... My Lord." The Female commander says._

_"Zephra, return with me to the ship." Kylo says as he walks away._

_Zephra exchanges a look with the female commander that can't be seen, thanks to their helmets, but she nevertheless, obeys and trails after him._

* * *

**_MOMENTS EARLIER..._ **

_Finn and Rey cover their eyes as the bright flash is just too bright for them to look towards._

_"Rey! Finn!" Their Master calls out. "You must escape! Set a course for the Peira System. There you will find Kyber crystals hidden in plain sight. As well as one of the last remaining Jedi."_

_Finn and Rey look at Luke with confused expressions._

_"I've taught all that you need to know about the Force and how to let it flow within you. Now, you need to learn the difference between knowing what the Force can do and what it wills us to do. I cannot teach you this, but_ She _can. Now, go. Go!"_

_Finn, Rey, BB8, and the other droids head out of the temple to see_ The Millennium Falcon _coming in for a landing. Chewie roars out, asking if they misses him._

_Rey shouts at Chewie, saying that he scared her and Finn just smiles and shakes his head._

_They all board the_ Falcon _and they set a course for the Peira System._

* * *

**_BACK IN THE PRESENT..._ **

_Kylo and Zephra return to the Bridge of  "The Reckoning" With Kylo giving the order to power up the main cannon and destroy the temple._

_Varamoth and Zephra look at their leader in shock._

_"My Lord. Our men are still in there!" Varamoth reminds him._

_"Hmm. Yes, of course. I know."_

_"But... Are you going to kill all of our men?" Varamoth asks._

_"They're MY MEN!!" Kylo shouts in a threaten manner. "They give their lives for MY cause! Now, DO IT!!"_

_Without anymore questions, the main cannon is prepped._

* * *

_There a loud 'Clicking' sound, echoing throughout the nearby jungle. And the nose of the Warship splits and opens horizontally, revealing a massive cannon hidden behind the giant shudder doors._

_The Warship powers down for a moment, as all of it's power is being directed into the cannon._

_The Cannon then begins to charge, a massive, red light shining so brightly that, despite the sun setting, it illuminates the entire area, as far as the eye can see._

_Once it's fully charged, it fires into the temple, destroying the exterior in a matter of seconds as well as rapidly disintegrating the many Stormtroopers inside and out, who never saw their deaths coming. not even when it was too late._

* * *

_All around the temple as well as miles due west of it, the surrounding jungle has been set ablaze. All the Creatures that were unlucky to be in the path of the Cannon's beam, howl and scream as they burn in the inferno order by Kylo Ren. The sounds of their cries are heard for miles and miles around. Their wailing are a painful symphony that can be heard by anyone who's strong in the Force. Including, of course, Finn and Rey. And whether in a large group or one by one, their bodies fall dead and are consumed in Kylo's Inferno._

_Kylo looks out his windows, a smile spreading across his face, as if he's just achieve some big victory, but was nothing more than a senseless waste of resources and unnecessary deaths. No... It's more like he's looking at something beautiful. Zephra and Varamoth frown in disgusted._

* * *

_Back on the Falcon, hearing the screams of those poor creatures sends Rey into a tailspin. She covers her ears as she begins to cry. Not just for the Those unfortunate creatures, but for the Stormtroopers as well._

_Finn, seeing her, jumps out of his seat as a copilot and Holds Rey tightly as her cry gets louder. She rests her head in Finn's chest as she wipes her arms arm his waist. Her tears streaming down her cheeks and dropping onto the floor._

_BB8 beeps sadly as it sees it's friends in so much pain. The other Droids look on as Rey and Finn drop down to the floor themselves._

_Chewie moans sadly as he flies the_ Falcon _onto their next destination._

_"I can't stop hearing their screams!" Rey screams. "I can't..."_

_"Rey." Finn tries to comfort her._

_"I can't believe I..." Rey sighs as she wipes her face and looks up at Finn. She shakes her head. "I thought I saw light in him (Kylo). I can't believe that he's become so empty. Why? Why?! Why is he doing this?! What is it about the Darkside that makes him want to be apart of it?! Why couldn't I reach him?! Why has he turned out this way?! I don't understand..."_

_"Rey... I don't know. From what Master Luke has said, the Darkside is seductive. But, from the way he's acting, it's almost like he's desperate for the Darkside to be apart of him."_

_"I can't believe I was acting so blindly." Rey buries her face into her hands._

_"Rey. That was 2 years ago. You come a long way. We both have. but, now, we know there's no saving Ben Solo. I doubt 'Ben Solo' ever existed."_

_Pulling herself together, Rey takes a deep breath before letting it out. "The Peira System. Let's go. Let's help finish this." Rey leans in close to Finn's face. Finn can feel her breath warm on his lips. "You and me. We can bring the First Order down to it's knees."_

_Finn smiles, proud of her and how strong she is. "Yes, we can. And we will. But, first..." Finn fishes around in his pockets and pulls out Luke's broken Lightsaber. He hands one broken piece over to Rey. "...We need to be ready. We need to finish our training." Rey looks up into Finn's determined brown eyes before nodding and looking down at the piece he's offering her and she takes it. "...We need to build our lightsabers and rallying the Resistance together. The Final War will soon begin."_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and share your thoughts!


	3. Preparing for the Final Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four Years Ago... Part 3 of 4.

_"Hey! I just received word from BB8!" Snap shouts, causing everyone to stop and huddle around him. He leans in close to the monitor sitting on his lap as he reads the report aloud. "Kylo Ren and the First Order has tracked us here on Konlorn. They launched an all out attack, but thankfully, that was no loss of life. Finn and Rey are both in one piece, but we are NOT coming to Bespin as originally planned. We're not sure how they found us, so we are not going to jeopardize whatever arrangements you have made thus far. Once we are sure we can divert their pursue, we'll meet you on Coruscant for the final preparations. Please, as always, be safe and may the Force be with you."_

_Everyone gasps in despair while Poe looks over the message with an angry scowl on his face. "It doesn't say where they going."_

_"You don't think the First Order managed to put a tracker on their ship, do you?" Jessika asks._

_"I don't think so." Poe says. "It wasn't that many of us left. We were desperate for shelter and in need of... everything. And when we left the Konlorn System, we never went back, not even the others left before us."_

_"Maybe it was some kind of Probe Droid." Snap mentions. "I mean, the word is out. Kylo has been chasing after Rey for two years now."_

_"Maybe. Maybe so." Poe says. "Either way, we have no way of reaching Finn or the others now. Looks like we're on our own." Poe looks up at Rose, who's returning for talking with Admiral Ackbar, who survived the_ Raddus _, thanks to General Leia's Force abilities. "Where are we with assembling the Fleet? How much long do they need?"_

_"Actually, they've just finished fueling the last of their fighter ships. They're ready to go as soon as we are."_

_"Good." Poe goes to leave, but stops, remembering an earlier question that Rose asked before. "Oh! And, we've finally heard back from Rey and Finn. They're both alive and on currently in Hyperspace."_

_"Hyperspace?" Rose asks, her eyes wide with concern. "Why did they leave Konlorn?"_

_Before Poe could explain, Snap captures the entire room's attention once again._

_"Going to have to catch her up in the air." Snap says._

_"What do you mean?" Poe asks._

_"We've got a lot company headed this ways." Snap picks up his data pad, showing Poe the fleet of First Order ships currently landing on Bespin._

 

_Lando Calrissian stands alone as First Order ships hover in midair, surrounding Cloud city. He frowns as he once again, finds himself having to deal with an Organization that has the entire galaxy in it's grip. He squints his eyes when he sees a single smaller ship landing right in front of him._

_The hatch slides open, forming a ramp. And row after row of Stormtroopers exits the ship._

_The last person to step off of that ship is an unshaven, long red haired man, known infamously as 'General Artimage Hux'._

_"Greetings." Says Lando. "Welcome to Cloud City. I hope you've had a pleasant journey."_

_"Save your formalities, Calrissian." Hux demands. "Where are they?"_

_Lando looks confused. "Where are who?"_

_Hux gestures for his troopers to aim their weapons at Lando. "Where are the Resistance sympathizers?"_

_"Sympathizers?" Lando says. "My dear sir, there's no one here who's willing to put themselves in between the First Order and the resistance. We've learned that lesson the hard way back with the Empire."_

_Hux frowns as he steps up to Lando. "Clearly, you have not. We've got reasonable intel that pointed us in the direction of the lovely city-- and you do have a lovely city, by the way-- of Cloud City on Bespin. Now, if you were really unaware of the existence of Resistance supporters, you're either lying to protect yourself. Or, you really have gone senile, Old man."_

_"Easy with the 'Old Man' comments, son. It sounds like you're threatening me."_

_Hux gets right in Lando's face. "I don't make threats. And if you don't show us where these would be terrorists are hiding, you'll see in graphic detail just what kind of man you're dealing with."_

_Lando stares him dead in the eye a few moments before nodding. "Okay. I'll take you right to them. Just one more thing, I really want you to remember those words you just told me. That way, there'll be no surprise for what happens next." Lando walks away._

_Hux scoffs. "What was that? Your idea of a threat? Or a poor attempt at humor?"_

_"Why do you come along and find out." Lando says without looking back at him._

 

 

_Moments later, Lando walks towards a large field with a fleet of ships sitting idly by as personnel are hard at work prepping them for takeoff._

_Lando yells, getting everyone's attention, letting them know that it's over. The First Order has the city surrounded and there was no chance of a fight without a lot of causalities, namely the innocent citizens of Cloud city. He pleads with them to lower their weapons and to comply with every demand the First Order makes._

_With a smug smile on his face, Hux steps forward, allowing those who wants to live to give up now. If they don't, they'll be joining the millions of other Sympathizers across the galaxy who've already met their fate._

_With no other choice, everyone does as they're told. They drop their weapons and get down on their knees._

_Hux also orders if they have a members of the Resistance here with them, hand them over now._

_Moments later, Poe Dameron, Rose Tico, Jessika Pava, and Snap Wexley walk towards Hux with their hands in the air as Storm troopers, with their blasters aiming at their backs, march behind them._

_"General Dameron." Hux says._

_"General Hugs." Poe spits right back._

_"'HUX'"!_

_"Hux!" Poe repeats back. "Hux. That actually sounds a lot better than 'hugs'."_

_Hux then proceeds to tell him and the others that this time, they won't escape. And as he revel in threatening them all with their slow, agonizing death, Poe finds him having heard these exact same threats back outside the D'Qar system._

_Bored, Poe yawns. The Others look at him as if he has now lost his mind._

_"Are you..." Hux looks at Poe astounded. "Are you yawning? Do you not understand the seriousness of your situation?!"_

_"I'm sorry!" He says, not actually meaning it. "...It's hard to stay focus when your little threats sound more like jokes. Why waste so much time and get to it already!"_

_Hux still has that look of astoundment in his face. "Very well." Hux turns away. Poe reaches for a device that was fasten around his left wrist. he presses a button and then hides the device under his long sleeve shirt._

_Rose's eyes drift down to his wrist before finding Poe's eyes._

_Poe looking over at her, winks._

_Hux orders his men to ready their weapons, take aim and "FIRE!"_

_Immediately, their weapons backfire and explode in their hands._

_Poe dives, carrying his head. The Others, with no time to think, only react, follow suit._

_A single, Condor Droids comes in fast from a distance and opens up on the ground troopers._

_Hux, ducks down for cover while the Storm troopers around run back to the ship. He curses them for their cowardice._ _He faces forward to see the Resistance and their Supporters, aiming their weapons at him, ordering HIM to surrender, which he does._

_Poe then makes an announcement to the surrounding Stormtroopers. "Unless you don't value the safety of Hux here, stand down and keep your distance, otherwise you'll be looking for a new General."_

_With no other course of attack, the Stormtroopers do as they're 'demanded.' The ground troopers (Who are still alive) return to their ships, and the Tie Fighters follow suit._

 

_Later, with their General in tow, the Resistance, along with their supporters, and Maz Kanata evacuate Bespin._

_Poe looks down to see Lando Calrissian saluting them and waving them off._

_Poe smiles and salutes back._

 

_"You realize that you won't be able to escape us again?" Hux asks, strapped in tight to one of the seats in the back of their transport. "Only fools would think that capturing a high ranking officer in the First Order would be clever move."_

_Poe, who was busing pulling in their coordinates, turns to face Hux with a look that says 'Are you kidding me?'_

_"Oh, really?" Poe says sarcastically. "Well, with word going 'round that the S.L.'s Troopers and Knights of Ren are killing any Resistance supporters, Force Sensitive folks, and anyone who doesn't like Kylo, Troopers included, by the shuttle load, I would think that I would be careful who I was calling a 'fool'". Poe stands over him, and then leans forward, getting right in Hux's face. "Seeing as how we hate you guys and how you guys don't even value one another, you should be more grateful that my people haven't killed you yet."_

_Hux shakes his head, with a grin. "I'm pretty sure you've got that backwards. YOU should be the ones who are grateful." Hux leans in closer to Poe. "My Troopers understand who's in charge here. They wouldn't do anything to risk me getting harmed. As long as you hold me hostage, they'll never stop coming after you."_

_"Oh, so they know who's calling the shots, huh? Is that why not one of them lifted a finger to help you?"_

_Hux's smile begins to falter. "What are you talking about, Dameron?"_

_"Are you really sure that you're as important to them as you think you are? Maybe you're just another pawn who still has it's uses. After all, it's no secret that Kylo Ren really doesn't like you."_

_"Is this you're intimation technique? You really need to work on it. Oh, but, you won't get a chance to, I'm afraid. Go ahead. Try to run. My men'll be right behind you."_

_"I know." Poe says as he walks away from a stupefied Hux._

 

 

_The Resistance fleet head into space with the First Order ships right behind them. Once they get far enough away from Bespin and get enough room between themselves and the F.O. ships, they enter hyperspace, leaving the F.O. behind._

 

_Back on the Millennium Falcon, BB8 rolls around the ship, looking for it's friends, Finn and Rey after not seeing them for a while._

_After a few minutes of searching, it finally finds them in the bunk they've been shared for the last two years. They are both shoulder to shoulder on their knees, lost in mediation._

_He rolls closer, tilting his head in confusion and beeping quietly._

_He can't see the Force Spirit of Luke Skywalker standing above them, coaching them both to allow the Force to flow through them. Don't try and 'force' it. Don't try and make it do what you want it to do, but allow it to guide you. Allow it to show a sight beyond just what their eyes can see. Let it in._

_Rey and Finn's eyes open simultaneously and speak simultaneously._

_"_ _I saw it!"  "_ _It's there!"_

_"It's in the outer rim. A world vacant of life... except a powerful Force User."  Rey says._

_"The Friend you were telling us about?" Finn asks Luke._

_"Yes. There beneath the surface of the Peira Valleys. There you will find one of the last Great Jedi Masters who will lead you to complete your training. Be sure to heed her wisdom. She won't let you down as I have."_

_Rey, knowing he was talking to her, shakes her head. "No, Luke. You didn't let me down. You kept your promise. And I'll always be grateful for it."_

_Luke nods before turning to Finn. "Trust in the Force, Finn. Always remember that it is on your side." Finn smiles and nods to Luke. "I'll be keeping an eye on you both. Stay Vigilant and make the Force be with you." He says before disappearing._  

_Standing where Luke's spirit was just seconds ago, Finn and Rey sees a confused BB-8 chirping worriedly, asking them if they were in need of repairs. They chuckle before putting their little Droid companion at ease, telling him that they saw their Master's Spirit._   _Still not fully understand, BB-8 just chirps and nods it's_   _'head'. They then give him coordinates to relay to Chewie and it takes off, squealing down the hallway._

_"And then there were two." Says Finn._ _"So, after a few more hours, we'll be able to finally get to meet another Jedi Master."_

_"And we get to construct our very own lightsabers!" Rey points out._

_"That's right!" Finn exclaims. "It took us long enough to get here. But..." He yawns. "...I think I'll just take a nap."_

_Rey's eyes go wide with delight. "You're going to bed?" She asks._

_"_ _Yeah. Today was a little more 'exciting' that I was ready for." He kisses Rey on the cheek. "See you later, Love."_

_But, before he could walk away from her, Rey grabs his wrist gently and pulls him back into her arms. "You're going to sleep? Well, that's a shame."_

_"Huh?" Finn says. "Why?"_

_"I figured that since we're alone, we could be doing something... strenuous." Rey playfully raises her eyebrows._

_"We've already had plenty of strenuous and stressful today, Rey. Training's gonna have to wait." He says, clearly missing her hint as he's too tired to think straight._

_"Not what I meant!" Rey says in a singsongy manner._

_Finn looks at her confused until he notices her pupils have blown up and the desire as she slowly smiles at him. He's brain is waking up again._

_"OH!" Finn says._

_"Yes! 'OH!'" Rey says back, laughing._

 

**_SOME TIME LATER..._ **

_Finn lies on his back with his shirt off, passionately kissing Rey, who's straddling his hips. She's wearing a combat bra and a pair of panties. She sighs contently as she feels on Finn's chest and abs, feeling herself getting moist as she deepens her kiss with Finn._

_Rey did a pretty good job not revealing just how tired SHE was to Finn, but when they arrived in their shared quarters, all they did was fall into bed, and did the one thing that didn't require a lot of energy: Smooch!_

_Finn's hands explore Rey's entire backside, from gently gripping her shoulders, sliding down her back, caressing her hips and ass, and then back up again._

_Rey moans as she delights in her lover's delicate touch. She smiles when she feels just how 'excited' he is when her center grinds against his waist._

_When no sense of time, they finally force themselves to stop, just to catch their breaths. Not willing to move away any further, Rey looks deep into Finn's eyes, as he looks into her._

_"My God, Finn." Rey whispers. "I never thought I'd ever feel this way about another person. The things you do to me... I just can't get enough."_

_"I can't lie, Rey. You've got me gonna crazy."_

_"I'm so in love with you." Rey says, caressing Finn's face._

_"I love you." Finn says back._

_Rey peppers Finn's face with so many kisses that he can't keep count. "I'm so happy I met you. I wish I would've left with you that day on Takodana, so that we could have this every night."_

_"I kinda wish you did, too. But, I'm actually glad you didn't."_

_"You are?" Rey asks, surprised._

_"Yeah. Because I know that if we had left that day, nothing would've made me look back. But, when I sensed Starkiller base firing at the Hosnian system, I knew I couldn't leave. I had to face my past. I had to stand up to my demons. And you, Rey..." He kisses her lips. "... You helped me find the courage to do that. So, yeah. I'm glad. And when this is over and we've won, I want us... I want this with you for the rest of my live."_

_"So sappy." She says before kissing him again._

_"Are you making fun of me?" Finn asks, knowing already that she isn't. "I just bare my soul here."_

_"No, my sweet. No. I would never do that." She kisses his forehead. "I want this with you, too. I want you."_

_Chewie's roaring comes up over the loudspeaker in their quarters, letting them know that they're almost at their destination._

_Rey sighs aloud and lets her head drop on the mattress besides Finn's right cheek. Finn tightens up his lips and just shakes his head._

_"J_ _ust when it was getting fun." Finn sighs._

_Rey lifts her head and pouts her lips before kissing him once more on the lips. "Back to work."_

_She pushes off of the bed and gets to her feet, putting her clothes back on. Finn follows suit._

 

 

_Walking back onto the bridge, Rey and Finn look out of the windows to see... More space. There's no moons, no Planets. Nothing out there! One of the Droids, acting as Co-Polit, mentions that perhaps Chewbacca made a mistake, to which Chewie growls back at it._

_Rey assures them both that they're in the right place, but this 'Piera' place may have been a state of mind or maybe it was destroyed by either the Empire or The First Order._

_But, before she could speculate any further, Alarms begin to wail and the Cockpit glows red from the warning lights._

_"What's happening?!" A Droid questions. "Are we under attack?"_

_"Are we caught in a tractor beam?" Finn wonders._

_Rey looks around outside to see a blackhole in the distance. "No, we're being pulled in by that blackhole."_

_Finn and the rest begin to panic as they scramble, trying their best to pull out of the Black hole's grip, but to no avail. Chewie growls as Finn and BB-8 try to find out how to turn themselves around enough to jump into Hyperspace._

_Everyone is trying to figure a way out of this... except Rey. She studies the blackhole closer, squinting as if she sees something inside of it. As if there was more to this wonder of the Galaxy that met the eyes._

_"Finn..." She says. Finn doesn't respond, since he's trying to get away. She walks over to him, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Finn!"_

_Finn stops and looks up at her, frowning._

_"Do you feel that?" Rey point at the Blackhole._

_Finn looks over at it, still frowning. He then takes a deep breath before closing his eyes._

_And... yes, indeed. He could sense what Rey was sensing. This 'Black hole' was not a black hole at all. Just a large dark blue Planet with a Gravity unlike any other Planet or Moon out there in the galaxy._

_Finn opens his eyes. "I don't believe it."_

_"It's... a Planet." Rey says._

_Chewie roars, wondering what his two Jedi Friends were going on about._

_"Easy, Chewie." Finn says. "Leave this to Rey and me." He closes his eyes again._

_"We'll get us down carefully, don't you worry." Rey confirms before she copies Finn's actions._

_Chewie stops and looks between Finn and Rey as they expand their hands in the Direction of the Planet._

_Suddenly, the alarms stops blaring, but the red warning light still flashes. Stability seems to have also returned to the_ Falcon _. After a few more moments, The Gravity lets up and Finn and Rey direct Chewie as to how they need to approach Piera and how fast they should be going._

_Without an argument from him, Chewie does as directed._

 

_Coming in fast, Chewie, Rey, and Finn manages to get the ship leveled off as they enter the Atmosphere. Coming in, down through the clouds, Chewie looks out to see an endless Ocean of dark blue. Not Ocean waters, just... Dark Blue._

_After a bit of a fight, The Trio finally manage to get the Falcon to land on the Planet's surface safety... to the sound of what appears to be breaking glass._

_"Another happy Landing." Finn smiles._

_Everyone just sighs in relief._

_Finn tries lifting his arm and to his amazement, the gravity here on the Planet is nowhere near the Intense pull in the Atmosphere. He makes mention of that fact and Rey speculates that maybe it has something to do with the fact that the Force surrounding the Planet._

_Finn stands to hid feet with relative ease, holding his arms out, testing any limits to his movement and finding none._

_Rey does the same. Nothing too hard for her to do._

_'I wonder how many others have made that trip and survived?' Rey wonders._

_"Aside from our mystery Jedi Master, I have no idea.' Finn says._

_"Hmm. Chewie? How are you guys? Can you stand up at all?" Rey asks._

_Chewie tries standing and finds it difficult. So do the Droids._

_Chewie whimpers, obviously concerned about this new development. Most Obviously, how are they gonna get off this Rock?_

_"Hmm. That's unusual." Rey says. "Could it be because Finn and I are strong in the Force?"_

_"It could be." Finn says. "Well, since you and I get us down here. Hopefully, we can do it again."_

_"Yeah. Hopefully." Rey says. She then takes a look around, a frown of concern on her face. "I hate to leave them like this. But, we don't have any other choice."_

_Finn nods. "Yeah. So, the quicker we find our Kyber Crystals, the sooner we can get out of here."_

_Rey nods. "Hold on, everyone. We'll be back as soon as we can."_   _She says as she and Finn head out._

 

_The Ramp lowers as Rey and Finn take a moment to look around. They see nothing. Nothing, and they wouldn't be able to see their hands in front of their faces, if not for the Ship's lights. The Air is still, but very cold. Luckily for them, they're already wearing coats and warmer clothes before knowing really if they even needed them._

_They reach inside their pockets and pull out their Plasma Torches. They shine them off in the distance, and they only help a little in this dark place._

_As they move their way down the Ramp, they find that they are joined by Chewbacca and BB-8, who insists on coming with them. They warned their companions of the deep cold and heavier Gravity, but them being stubborn, they pay them no mind. Chewie even suggests that as long as he can walk or hold out his Bowcaster, he'll be fine. BB-8 just says it has cables, so if it runs low on power, he'll just make Chewie carry him. Chewie growls, but BB-8 points his taser at Chewie._

_"Okay! Alright. You can come with." Finn says. "Just knock that off and make up, okay?"_

_Rey just rolls her eyes and she and Finn start out, followed by the Wookie and the Droid._

 

_Poe and his team in the_ Crusade _, leads the Bespin Fleet into the Coruscant System. Slipping out of hyperspace, they meet another Fleet of ships, hovering above the Planet's Atmosphere._

_Just as the_ Crusade _makes it's approach, a voice comes up on their commlink, demanding that they stop their present course. With no other choice and no wanting to antagonize them, they do as ordered._

_A smaller cruiser approaches The Crusade, telling the Crew that they were about to be boarded. And to NOT respond aggressively, otherwise their Fleet will be reduced to space junk._

_Jessika and Snap look to Poe for an answer and reluctantly, he nods his head and has them stand down._

 

_Moments later, after this Cruiser connected to the Crusade, Poe and the others head over to the connecting bridge door, and after readying their weapons, they open the door to see that the crew of the Cruiser have done the same._

_Most of the other Crew are older and one of them appears to be blinded, carrying a staff, but they look like they all mean business. And from outer appearances, they don't look like Stormtroopers or Imperials._

_"The night is quiet on an never ending battlefield." An older Gentleman says, with light gray hair and has a Spanish accent._

_Poe, eyes widen, lowers his weapon. "Doesn't mean the Armies have reached peace." Poe replies._

_Poe and the older Captain then say in Unison. "It only means they're waiting for the battle to continue."_

_"General Dameron?" The older Man asks._

_"Captain Andor?" Poe asks back._

_With a smile, the Captain, Cassian holsters his blaster and Poe does the same. They both reach out, grabbing each others forearm in a old fashion handshake between Warriors._

_"Nice to finally put a face on that voice." Cassian says._

_"Captain. I've heard many great things about you and your crew. It's our esteemed pleasant."_

_"Oh, please! It's Cassian! And the honor is all ours! Destroying Star killer base, that's something I'm sorry we missed. Please..." He gestures to his Crew and they speak forward. Poe shakes their hands as Cassian introduces them."This is Bodhi Rook, Baze Malbus, Chirrut Imwe, and... my lovely wife, Jyn Erso-Andor."_

_"The Crew from Rogue One!" Poe says, the excitement present in his voice._

_"Yes, indeed. And, now for the newbies. This is Felisha..." A catlike Alien. "...Grogger..." A Rock humanoid. "...Felisha's Wife, Vita..." A pink skinned Twi'lek. "...And former Storm Trooper Commander, Wolfe Gustin." This man, Gustin has light red hair with the right side of his head shaved, he bears a tattoo which says 'The Golem Corps.', probably the name of a Squad._

_Poe's eyes goes to the man with red haired man. "A defector?"_

_"Yep. FN-2187 isn't the only one."_   _Wolfe says._

_Poe frowns. "His name is Finn." He says through his teeth._

_"My Apologies." Gustin says genuinely. "I didn't mean to offend. I just didn't know his name. One he was given, I'm assuming?"_

_"Yeah. And it's alright. It's hard not to get upset over him being called that all his life."_

_"I know what you mean." Gustin says, nodding his head._

_Poe looks over his left shoulder and gestures for his crew to come forward._

_"And here's my crew: Rose Tico, Jessika Pava, Snap Wexley, Maz Kanata, and Kaydel Ko Connix." They all shake hands with the Rogue One crew and exchange pleasantries._

_"Okay!" Cassian says, getting everyone's attention. "I'm happy to see that you and your crew has brought an army, but I was kinda hoping for a little something extra?"_

_"Extra?" Rose asks. "Meaning what, exactly."_

_"Like maybe a Jedi... Or two?" Chirrut chimes in._

_"Well..." Poe says. "All I can say is, the Jedi are currently wrapping up their training and will be on the way back here within a couple of days. In the meantime, We've got an extra that will hopefully be as good. And I think Gustin here will appreciate it."_

_Gustin raises an eyebrow curiously._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and share your thoughts!


	4. Itching for a fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fours years Ago... Part 4 of 4.

_"Well, Lookie here!" Wolfe says, looking down at a pissed off Captain Artimage Hux. "I don't believe it! General Hux, the man himself! How are you, General? You look like Bantha shit."_

_"Gustin, you bastard!" Hux spits. "You survived... Only to turn?!"_

_"Hey, I'm a civil servant." Gustin says. "And, since I owe some very nice folks my life, after the Knights of Ren tried to kill me, I figured I'd helped them out in the war effort."_

_"You'll hang for this!" Hux swears. "You hear me, you PUTRID PIECE OF SHIT!! YOU'LL HANG..." Hux's words become muffled, thanks to the shutter door to his cell._

_"Well, I'll say you've bagged yourselves a prize." Cassian says. "Is there a reason he's still alive?"_

_"Aside from the fact that he's the First Order's General, no, there isn't." Poe replies._

_"Like that even matters." Gustin says. "Two years ago, When Kylo made it known that he was the new Supreme Leader, Hux all but lost his position in the First Order. Why would anyone fear a washed up has-been like Hux when the whole galaxy came to fear Kylo and the knights of Ren. He's obsolete at this point."_

_"You've seen him, haven't you?" Jyn Erso-Andor speaks up. "He looks terrible. Like he's been so beatdown by everyone. Wouldn't be surprise if he comes under fire the by Stormtroopers when they come after us."_

_"I imagine that won't take too long for us to find out." Maz says._

_"What do you mean?" Asks Chirrut._

_"When we left Bespin with Hux in tow, we were followed by a fleet of Stormtroopers, all following Hux's command."_

_Gustin frowns. "Are you sure about that?"_

_Maz frowns back. "Yes. The Fleet would be..."_

_"No, no, no, no, no." Gustin corrects. "I mean are you sure that Hux was in command?"_

_Everyone in the room looks over at Wolfe, frowning in confusion and concern. "I take it most of you aren't Force sensitive, because if you were, you would've known that no high ranking Official in the First Order goes anywhere without a Knight of Ren backing them."_

_Poe steps forward towards Wolfe. "What are you saying?"_

_"I mean, if you guys were able to get away from a F.O. Fleet nowadays, it's only because you were allowed to. Hux hadn't be going off on his own in a long time. The Rens saw to that. And not having you all blown out of the sky, there'd be a reason for that."_

_"So, us keeping Hux on our ship didn't guarantee us our lives..." Poe reasoned._

_"...Then whoever was on that ship was Hux did... At least for the time being." Cassian says, completing Poe's thoughts._

_"Guys." Snap says. "We need to work o our timetable here."_

_"But, now, things have only gotten more complicated." Rose throws out. "There's no way we'd be ready for a surprise attack! If nothing else, we need more time... a bigger window than the one we have now!"_

_Maz hums to herself. "Young Rose is correct."_

_Rose's eyes go wide as she looks between Poe and Maz._

_"I think I may have an idea."_

 

_Back on Konlorn, Kylo sits on his throne in his room aboard_ the Reckoning _. He stares at the floor as he racks his brain, trying to find ways to located Rey and Finn. He's alone; Zephra has been trying to locate Rey via her now broken bond with Kylo with Varamoth assisting her. Any surviving Storm troopers are making the necessary repairs to_ the Reckoning _(Though by killing off the majority of his troops didn't help anything, so the repairs are taking a tremendous amount of time to be completed), and is in need of some guidance. But, with Snoke also dead, he's left on his own._

_Suddenly, Kylo frowns, hearing a voice laughing silently._

_His eyes look up from the floor, staring wide-eyed at nothing. And, when the laughter dies down, so to his eyes back onto the floor._

_And then, the voice laughs a little louder this time._

_"What...?" Kylo whispers. He stands to his feet and shouts, "Who's there?!"_

_He hears no reply, over more laughing._

_"SHUT UP! WHOEVER YOU ARE, SHOWING YOURSELF NOW!!"_

_"Child..." A Voice calls out._

_Kylo's face is now void of color. He recognizes that voice. "No! It can't... But, you're dead!!"_

_Suddenly, two halves of Snoke's corpse appears on the floor. Snoke's eyes look up at Kylo, causing Kylo to step back in fear and disgust._

_"What?" Snoke's ghost says. "Not a fan of your handiwork? Well, NEITHER WAS I!!!" Snoke pushes his torso up by his arms, and starts crawling to Kylo. "Everything I've do for you! Everything I've given you! How could you have sink so low, that you would do this to me?!"_

_"You're not there." Kylo says to himself. He turns his back on Snoke's crawling corpse and closes his eyes. "He's even there. I'm just imagining this. I'm just talking to a figment of my imag..."_

_A hand reaches out, grabbing Kylo by his neck and turns him around to face a Snoke, who's now standing over Kylo Ren, staring him down. "Tell me. Are you imagining my hand around your neck?!"_

_"You're dead! You're dead!" Kylo says, almost like he's pleading for this to be true._

_Snoke chuckles at this._

_Kylo opens his eyes and finds no one there. He takes a deep breath and releases it, thinking it really was just his imagination. But, when he turns back around, he sees Snoke sitting upon his throne._

_"I am. And, so is Skywalker. But, you weren't even able to sense it. You weren't even able to sense me." Snoke stands to his feet. "So, you truly are nothing like the man whose blood flows in your veins. So disappointing."_

_Despite knowing this could all be in his head, Kylo shakes fearfully as his heart pounds in his ears._

_Snoke sighs. "Your Grandfather, once known as Anakin Skywalker, was conceived in a mortal woman thanks to the will of the Force. You, like him, are so strong, able to do so much, that the entire galaxy was his footstool. But, you... All you do with it is just throw things and people around like an annoying child throwing a tantrum. You are NOT worthy to run the First Order! You are NOT worth to lead my stormtroopers! You are NOTHING, BOY!!"_

_Kylo ignites his lightsaber, charging at his throne, cutting it clean in two. "WHERE ARE YOU?!? I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!! SNOKE!!!" He then  processes to swing his lightsabers carelessly in his room, utterly, destroying everything in his wake. Screaming and Cursing, Kylo is determined to kill someone who isn't even there._

_Snoke cackles at Kylo. "You had the last two Jedi in your sights and you just allowed them to get away. Now, is that act of a leader who's order is absolute? Or is that a coward posing as a conqueror?"_

_I'LL KILL THEM BOTH!! I'LL BECOME AN INFERNO THAT WILL CONSUME THE GALAXY!! AND, YOU, SNOKE, I'LL DESTROY YOUR ENTIRE LEGACY!! I MAKE SURE THAT  IF ANYONE UTTERS YOUR NAME OR SKYWALKER'S, THEY WILL BE PUT TO DEATH!!! COUNT ON IT!!"_

_"My lord?"_

_Kylo turns around to see Lady Zephra, standing at his doorway, looking at him and the room he destroyed._ _He deactivates his lightsaber. "What?"_

_"Sir, I think I may know where the two Jedi have disappeared to." Zephra says cautiously._

_Kylo looks at her over his left shoulder._

 

_"They're holding Hux prisoner. We've tracked them to the Coruscant System. Looks like they're meeting up with the rest of their Ranks." Zephra says._

_"Hux." Kylo scoffs. "He was always useless. Now, you say the Girl and the Traitor are on they're way to Coruscant as well? What made you think that?"_

_"Well, since the whole Galaxy's on the lookout for them, no where would be safe, expect in the bosom of those Resistance Fools."_

_Kylo nods, lost in thought._

_"My Lord. We're ready to go after them, but_ the Reckoning _is still in need of repairs." Varamoth says._

_"What about the life boats? Are any in good condition?" Kylo asks._

_"Three, Sire." Varamoth says._

_"All right. Take two of the smaller crafts and get after these two vermin." Kylo orders. "I'll be taking the last one and rendezvous with the First Order Fleet in the Mid Rim and lead them to Coruscant."_

_"I'll send a hail, letting them know you're on your way." Varamoth says. "What do you want about Hux?"_

_Kylo snickers. "Pso Ren was in charge of Hux. Have her stand down and keep her distance. Once Both Fleets connect in the Nerveso Pass, we'll crush the Resistance in one strike."_

_"Very Good, Sire." Varamoth says. "We'll leave right away."_

_Varamoth and Zephra start to walk out of the bridge, slowing down to take a look over their shoulders at Kylo for a moment before looking at each other as they leave out completely._

 

_Back on the dark world of Piera, Rey, Finn, Chewie, and BB8 walk through an entire graveyard of ships as they explore the immediate area, looking for (Sensing) Where the Kyber crystals are and looking for this mysterious Jedi Master, who apparently doesn't even have a name. Master Luke has told them so much about this Great Jedi, but he never told them her name. Only, that she was a lot like him. She helped started the Rebellion, but stayed out of the Galactic War with the Empire. But, according to Luke, she was willing to help the last surviving Jedi learn we they needed to know about the Force. The things that Luke was unable to teach them, and aid them in rebuilding the Republic, unhappy with how history has repeated itself._

_As the team scans the area, they notice that in the distance, there were large crystal like boulders, sitting under the crashed ships. Finn gets closer to investigate, warned by Rey to be careful. He nods to her and slowly gets closer. Just as he's within inches of touching it, it begins to glow._

_Finn stops and leans back, apparently stopping the crystal from glowing. He leans in close again, and the crystal glows again._

_Finn frowns as he studies the Crystals, but eyes widen slightly. He has an idea._

_He fishes around in one of his pouch and takes out one of the broken halves of Luke's old Lightsaber. He points it at the crystal and nothing happens. He looks down and sees that he's holding the helm of the lightsaber, pointing at the Crystal, so he turns it around and points the broken Kyber Crystal and the bigger one and it glows blue. The same color of the broken Kyber crystal._

_He looks at Rey and asks her for her broken piece of the lightsaber. She hands it to him and he holds it close to the Crystals. They begin to glow again. brightly._

_Finn then pockets both pieces and reaches out for the crystal. He closes his eyes and taps into the Force._

_After a few seconds, the crystals begin to glow with a white light._

_Chewie and BB-8 look on in awe._

_Rey, fascinated by with Finn is doing, she steps up to his side, resting her right hand on his shoulder. "How are you doing this?" She asks._

_"The Crystals somehow have a connection with the Kyber crystal. Just like we have a connection to the Force. By focusing on the strength of the Force surrounding the Planet and this place, I can see something."_

_"What?" Rey asks._

_"It's hard to describe." Finn says. "Why don't you get it a try? See for yourself."_

_Rey closes her eyes and lifts her left hand towards the Crystals. The massive Crystals begin to glow, White and dark red. Chewie growls and Finn opens his eyes to see the blood red light illuminating the dark area._

_"Rey, the crystals are reflective of the Force inside of us. The dark red light means the confliction. What's going on?"_

_Rey doesn't answer. Instead, she tries to block out the visions of what Kylo Ren did back on Konlorn and focus on the light. But, then, she remembers that cave on Ach-to two years ago. She then mediates on her journey into that black pit and how she was close to being tempted by the Darkside. Unable to block it out, Rey exhales harshly and breaks concentration, bringing their surroundings back into darkness._

_Finn asks Rey what's wrong and she tries to insist that she's fine. Finn doesn't buy it, but he doesn't press her. He then decides that he'll try and tap into the Force near the Crystal columns again. The Crystals shine brightly with a white light again, only it isn't as bright as it was when Rey was tapping into it with Finn._

_Rey stands there with a haunted expression, feeling guilty about how foolish and brash she was back on Ach-to._

_Finn, sensing her guilt, tells her that he doesn't know what she's fighting against in her own mind, but he tells her that she isn't alone anymore. If she doesn't want to tell Finn what's wrong, that's fine. But, he pleads with her to not let the Darkside overwhelm her. She's still strong in the light. Just remember what Master Luke taught them. The Darkside might be seductive, but it's possible to resist it, even if it's present in you._

_She then thinks about Ben-- Kylo-- and about how he was offer redemption twice, and twice he showed his true colors. There is still light inside of him, but he's not being manipulated to fight for the Darkside. He's not a puppet with a master at the strings. He's his own man. He makes his own choices. He chooses to remain in darkness and shuns the light._

_Feeling better by this new revelation, Rey nods her head confidently and stands beside Finn again. Closing her eyes, she once again taps into the surrounding Force, causing the Crystal Columns to shine a bright white light, illuminating the surrounding area. Rey and Finn's combined efforts causes the light to shine is brightly, it would appear that the sun is shining where there was no sun._

_BB-8 beeps excitedly and chewie growls, completely astounded. Chewie looks around, now with a clearer view of the 'crystal valley', he notices a large glass tower to the east in a far off distance._

_He growls again, signaling to the two Jedi of his findings._

_Finn and Rey find his glance to the tower, and they wonder if that's what Master Luke meant when he said, 'Kyber crystals hidden in plain sight.' With nothing to lose and so much to gain, they make their journey to the east._

 

_Poe and Cassian walk and talk on the Crusade. Their plan involves relocating the Fleet to the Enori System, and hold off the First Order until the rest of the resistance Forces arrives to help them box in the F.O. Fleet and just keep firing until the First Order, The Stormtroopers, The Knights of Ren (Hopefully) as well as Kylo Ren was all space junk and bad memories._

_It might sound like a solid plan, but in actuality, it was a desperate move. They both know that Causalities will being in the thousands and the unasked question is 'does the end justify the means?' Well, if they had Master Luke, General Organa, Rey and Finn on their side, they might be able to do more damage, but victory still wouldn't be guaranteed._

_Speaking of Finn and Rey, Poe radios to Snap to send them the update and give them the Coordinates to Coruscant._

 

_Rose sits in her room, holding her necklace close to her chest. 'Paige...' She thinks of her sister. In the next two days, the Resistance will be claiming a victory or suffering a massive death sentence. Either way, She prays that Paige will help her get through this final battle and to watch over her like she always did._

_Suddenly, her thoughts drift off to Finn. Finn. She hadn't seen him since she left Konlorn for Bespin a year ago. She misses him. Hopeful that the reason they haven't heard of him-- them. Him and Rey-- was because they were completing their training and were safe. She hopes to see him soon. Because she doesn't know what she'll do if he dies._

_When they first met, Rose admits to herself that she judged him way too harshly. Thinking that he was a coward when, in fact, he was acting selflessly. She called him a dummy when he knew just what the First Order was truly capable of and desperately wanted to stop them. Given that she almost lost her life, trying to stop him from sacrificing his own (By ramming her ship into his and them both making it out alive... somehow. 'Maybe it was Finn who saved her, thanks to his Force powers', Rose thought to herself.) She was more than a little surprised that Finn would not only forgive her for her mistreatment of him, But also consider her to be one of his closest friends._

_Of course, she was hoping that Finn didn't Just see her as a friend, but as... maybe something more._

_"Praying for your friends?" A voice calls out, startling Rose. She looks up to see the former Stormtrooper Commander, Wolfe Gustin, standing in the doorpost of her room. She frowns at the former Stormtrooper. "Do you know if they're safe?"_

_Rose hops off of her bunk and walks over to a broken Astro droid. "I didn't know you were there. How long were you standing there?"_

_"Oh, I'm sorry." Gustin says. "I didn't mean to..."_

_"What do you want?" Rose spits in a spiteful tone._

_Gustin walks in cautiously. "I was told by one of your crew, Jess I think it was, that your the top gearhead on board."_

_Rose presses her lips together in anger and looks over at Gustin briefly before she starts tinkering with the Astro Droid in her room._

_After a few seconds of awkward silence, Wolfe speaks up again. "Right." he whispers to himself. "Well, if you're interested, I've got a little problem and I'd appreciate it if you were to give me a hand."_

_Rose doesn't answer right away, still disgusted with being in the present of a stormtrooper. "What is it?" She asks, wanting him to leave as soon as possible._

_Wolfe nods his head. "It's only been 4 months since I've left the First Order, but I remember hearing that Kylo Ren and the Knights have made it a point to keep all of the higher ups in the Organization under close monitor. 'In case of resistance trouble', they said. But, I'm thinking that there might be more to that story."_

_Rose stops, and turns to look at Wolfe Gustin, now more interested in where he was going with this. "Okay." She says, encouraging him to go on._

_Gustin rubs his hands together anxiously. "Well, I think that the General might be leading the Stormtroopers here to Coruscant."_

_Rose goes back to tinkering with the Droid again. "No, that would be us. We planned for them to come here so that we can give them a false lead to follow."_

_Gustin frowns in confusion. "I don't understand."_

_Rose sighs before facing him again. "You see, We already know about the trackers that the Knights of Ren installed, so that they can keep a close eye on the F.O. Leaders. Since neither Kylo nor his knights are really military, they can't command the Stormtroopers without men like Hux. Even with Kylo Ren as the new Supreme Leader, he still needs Hux to stay alive."_

_Wolfe nods in agreement. "Now, normally, that_ IS _true. But, some in development has come to our attention."_

_Wolfe goes into his coat pocket and pulls out a data drive. "While on recon, I came across some intel that suggests that the Knights of Ren are planning to do away with so much more than the Resistance."_

_Rose goes to her feet and takes the device from Gustin. "Meaning what?"_

_"I mean, once they've eradicated the Resistance, they'll be turning their attention to the rest of the First Order. Now, I don't how their going to pull this off, but there has been a demand for a large order of Droid to go into production soon. Looks like they might replace Stormtroopers with that of Droids."_

_Rose's eyes go wide. "it's just like Order 66, except in reverse."_

_"Exactly." Gustin nods. "So, like I said before, having General Hux on this ship isn't necessarily keeping you guys alive. It's just allowing the Knights to buy a little time to gather their forces for the Final attack while building a new army of Droids. And that's not even the scary part."_

_"There's more?" Rose asks, visibly upset._

_Gustin frowns."'Fraid so. You see, I brought this intel back to Captain Andor weeks ago, but this order is already two years old."_

_"Oh, my..." All the color just drains out of Rose's face._

_"Yeah. Exactly." Gustin says._

_"So..." Rose remembers what he said before. "...What did you need my help with?"_

_Gustin looks over at the Astro droid, sitting on the floor. "Where did you get that Droid?"_

_Rose looks between Wolfe and the Droid. "From Takodana. Why?"_

_"May I?" Gustin asks, gesturing to the damaged Droid. Rose steps aside so that he can get pass her. He kneels down and examines the droid closely. "I was hoping that by getting one of their droids operational, we might find where they're building these droids."_

_That mystery's been solved." Gustin and Rose turn to see Poe and Cassian walking in. "With the New Republic now disbanded, the First Order now has complete control of the Massive factories on Enori. But, the only problem is that it's now one of the First Order's closely guarded secrets. Any map of the Rishi Maze has been edited so that Enori doesn't appear in any of them, unless you've got an unaltered one."_

_"How did you figure that out so fast?" Wolfe asks his captain. "Wait..."_

_Rose and Poe's eyes go over to him._

_"That Droid we found..." Gustin says._

_"...On Lothal." Cassian says, finishing his thought. "We've got it working for us now."_

_"Does it know where Enori is?" Rose asks._

_"I'm afraid not." Cassian says. "According to our allies on Lothal, all droids are programmed to erase all their data tracks should they wind up in enemy hands. And regardless of they're functional or not."_

_"So..." Gustin says, looking at Rose and then her Damaged Droid. "This is our only hope to locating Enori."_

_"If you two can get it working again." Poe says._

_Rose's eyes go wide. She realizes that while they were on Takodana, recruiting Maz and a few Space pirates, they realized that First Order droids had been sent to keep an eye on Maz Kanata. Before the droid could even reaction after it was detected, it was shot out of the sky by Snap's sniper skills. That was 7 months ago. There's no way the First Order could've known that that particular droid had been spotted and there's no way they could've known that it wasn't destroyed by Poe's team. Just merely damaged and broken. 'Not beyond repair', Rose thinks to herself._

_"Okay, then." Rose says as she once again takes a seat on the floor. "If that's the way it is, we'd better get to work."_

_Wolfe, not wasting one more second, gets down on the floor with her, ready to help out however he can._

_"Meanwhile, we're getting the Fleet moving in the Rishi Maze's direction. If we encounter any F.O. ships, it'll hopefully be a smaller squadron and not a fleet. At least, not until we've located Enori."_

_"Okay. This'll be a while. Hopefully, we'll have this thing working before we get close to the Rishi Maze." Wolfe says._

_"Well, the Rogue One Crew will found out sooner than we will." Poe says._

_Rose stops and looks up at Poe. "Where are you off to now?"_

_"WE are headin' down to Coruscant." Poe says. "You, Mr. Gustin here, Myself, Snap, Jess, and Maz will remain here with General Hux while the rest of the Fleet and hopefully the resistance in it's entirety, move into the Rishi Maze. Captain Andor and the Rogue One Crew will be leading the charge while we wait for Finn and Rey to get here."_

_Rose's heart flowers when she hears Finn's name. "They'll be coming here?"_

_"Yep." Poe rocks excitedly. "Snap sent out a message, letting them know where we are. We could really use their help, and besides, it's been a year already! I miss them!"_

_Rose blushes, thinking 'I miss Finn, too.' before she and Wolfe get back to work._

 

 

_Climbing the Crystal mountain isn't as easy as Finn and the Others thought. aside from the slippery edges of the crystals and sharp points, they can't get a grip on the Crystal columns or Boulders. Since most of the Mountain... tower... thing is made of this weird crystal like subsistence, not keeping a grip on anything is NOT ideal. So, with no other choice, they call for the_ Falcon _to be moved in close so that they could get onboard and fly it up to the top._

_Chewie and BB-8 get back on the ship, and as Finn is about to do the same, he notices that Rey is still struggling, trying to climb that damn tower. Finn calls out for Rey to get on the ship, but she ignores him, determined to climb the mountain to the top by herself._

_Once Finn saw that calling for Rey wasn't getting him anywhere, he decided to wave the Falcon away, signaling them to keep their distance. So that Chewie and BB can swoop in and save him and Rey, should they potentially fall to their deaths._

_Sensing that Finn is coming with her up the mountain the hard way makes Rey appreciate Finn even more. He's willing to forgo riding on the Falcon to the top, so that he can scale the tower with Rey instead. He's adorable! He's precious! He's... everything Rey wanted and so much more. She'll wait to tell him that. Right now, they have to reach the top of this tower. Finding their Kyber crystals is the Galaxy's last hope._

_Blood trickles down the mineral tower as Rey reaches roughly half way up the tower Mountain with Finn just a few feet beneath her. Her hands were already rough due to her years on Jakku, but now they were just a bloody mess. Cuts and bruises from gripping a crystal's edge too hard or bumping into a sharp shard has her winching and grunting everytime she gets new ones. She's looking down at her left hand and then looks up. She breaths heavily, knowing that she and Finn still have so far to go. But, she's determined to reach the top. And from the look of it, Finn's just as determined as she is._

_As she reaches up for a handhold, she finds that she's reached a cliff's edge. Pulling herself up she notices a cave right in front of her. Climbing up as if se were possessed, she heads inside, drawn to whatever she sees inside._

_Finn's just beneath where Rey was just a moment. He looks up to see her and begins to panic when he doesn't. He frantically looks around, hoping that she's reached a safe place on the Crystal wall and not fallen back down onto the hard, Sapphire colored ground below. Finn strains his neck, looking at the_ Falcon _just behind him. He signals to Chewie to find Rey._

_Chewie nods and flies upward. He must've spotted Rey because he radios back, saying that everything's okay and to come up a little further._

_Moments later, Finn manages to get to the Cliff's edge, but slips and begins to fall._

_But, then, almost out of nowhere, Rey grabs his arm and helps him onto the cliff. She asks himself if he's alright and when he says he is, she offers him a smile and playfully scolds himself to be more careful._

_Finn rolls his eyes, but smiles back._

_Still holding his hand, Rey guides Finn into the cave on the mountainside. The cave is dark, the ground is more solid than slippery and shiny. Indicating that they're standing on solid rock. Finn tries to wave his hand in front of his face, but can't see it._

_"How can you see in here?" Finn asks._

_"Can't you see her?" Rey asks back._

_"See who?"_

_Rey stops and smiles. "The one we came to meet."_

_Still holding his hand, Rey guides Finn deeper into the Cave. A bright light shines from behind them, and they turn to see Chewie shining his light inside, showing the a figure on their knees, dressed in a light gray robe, similar to Luke's. Rey turns back around and brings Finn to the opposite end of the cave, standing over the robed stranger who's back is facing them._

_Rey looks at Finn with uncertainty and Finn presses his lips together, gesturing that they approach cautiously. Rey nods slightly and looks back down at the Robed Stranger._

_"Are you the one who's been waiting for us?" Rey asks._

_A female voice with gravelly tone answers, "Oh! So you've survived the Planet's gravity. Impressive."_

_Finn frowns and steps a little closer to Rey. "Are you waiting for us?"_

_"_ _I've been waiting for the ones sent by Luke Skywalker." The Woman answers._

_"We were..." Finn begins to say, but stops to gather his thoughts. "We were told that a great Jedi Master would help us find our Kyber Crystals."_

_"Oh, the Kyber Crystals are here, indeed." The Elderly lady says. "But, if you wish to find them, then you must do so on your own."_

_Rey sighs, remembering how difficult it was to get Luke to stand still long enough to listen to her, and now she's suffering Deja vu. "Look, we need help in stopping the Knights of Ren from destroying the last hope in the galaxy. We're willing to fight, but we need those Crystals."_

_The Elderly woman, who's back is still facing Finn and Rey, gestures like she was shaken out of a deep thought. "Did you move it up here without the use of your ship?"_

_Rey and Finn exchange looks before looking back at the robed lady._

_"Yes." Rey answers. "We've got the scars to prove it."_

_Finally, the lady gets up to her feet. She's still facing away from them, but at least she's engaging with them. "If you two made it here without... Tell me. How long have you known that you were aware of the Force inside you?"_

_Rey frowns, trying to figure out where she was going with this. "Since... Since the lightsaber called to me on Takodana." Rey sighs._

_"No." The Woman says. "No, that's when the Force awoken within you. I need to know the moment you knew you felt yourself connect with it. And you two, young man."_

_Rey, with sad eyes, looks at Finn. "When... When Finn left me behind on Takodana. it was right around that time that Luke's old lightsaber called to me."_

_"Hmm. I see." The Lady says. "And your partner?"_

_Finn, still holding Rey's hand, steps up even closer to the robed Master. "Ever since a village on Jakku was attacked."_

_"Fascinating. You both have the Force awaken inside you at moments of tragic and lost. And yet, here, I can sense that you both share a bond that goes beyond the bond you once shared with Ben Solo."_

_That caught Finn and Rey's attention._

_"How do you know about that?" Rey asks._

_"I could see and feel Snoke bending the Force, bridging your two minds together. It wasn't very stronger, and yet... The Bond the two of you share makes you both so much stronger. As if you were soulmates. Amazing! The more you two grow individually, the stronger you both become as a pair. A true Force Bond! I've never seen anything remotely close to this! Even now, as you stand so closely together, I can feel you both growing more powerful! One feeds into the Other! What are your names? Please, tell me."_

_"I'm Finn."_

_"Rey."_

_"Finn and Rey." The Elderly woman tries around, revealing an aged Togruta. She removes the hood, showing her face finally to the two young Jedi._ _"Greetings. I am Ahsoka Tano."_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and share your thoughts!


	5. Finding Our Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Finn take their final step into becoming full fledged Jedi. But, as they meet their greatest fears, will the galaxy be graced with two new Jedi, or suffer yet two more losses?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The calm before the Storm.
> 
> (Re-edited.)

_"Ahsoka Tano?!" Rey asked, eyes wide open in awe. "You're THE Ahsoka Tano. The Apprentice of Anakin Skywalker!"_

_"That was many years ago." Ahsoka says._

_"Whoa!" Finn exclaimed. "I can't believe we're meeting another Jedi Legend!" Finn then frowns while in thought. "I wonder why Master Skywalker never mentioned your name."_

_"I asked him not to." Ahsoka says._

_Finn and Rey look at her with shock written on their faces. They look at one another briefly before turning back to Ahsoka._

_"But, why?" Rey asks._

_"There's not many Jedi left nowadays." Ahsoka says. "Many of them, like Luke, have disconnected themselves from the Force. After a loss of Faith and a great number of Force Sensitive Individuals being hunted and killed. Those of us who survived Order 66 when into hiding, not knowing who they could trust or who was responsible for it. And many of us were crushed to learn that my Master..." Ahsoka takes a moment to calm herself back down. "...Master... Anakin Skywalker was responsible in the slaughter of many of our young Padawans. And what's worse, to learn that the man formerly known as 'Anakin Skywalker's' own grandson would try to pick up where his grandfather left off. Especially, after Luke spent so much time and effort rebuilding the Jedi Order. I didn't wish to see another Generation lost to a wayward Skywalker."_

_"But, it's not Luke's fault." Finn says. "His nephew, Ben Solo, was twisted from the beginning. How else would you explain the new Academy's Destruction or the arrival of the Knights of Ren? He was rotten to the core the day he learned who his grandfather was."_

_Rey presses her lips together, thinking about how foolish she was in trusting Ben... Kylo Ren to be what the Resistance needed. What the galaxy needed. And no matter how many times Finn tries to tell her otherwise, it doesn't make the guilt any less unbearable._

_Finn, sensing this, rests a reassuring hand on Rey's shoulder. She looks over to see him smiling at her, and she can't help but return it. Finn's always been very good at that. Making her feel better._

_Ahsoka smiles as she witnesses what's happening right before her eyes. "So much love, I see in you two."_

_Finn and Rey look up at her after hearing that._

_"He didn't have to say a word, and already I can feel you calming down. It's not very often when two form a truly powerful Force Bond, but when they do, it's genuine and one of their own making."_

_This time, Rey and Finn don't bother to deny it. What they have is real and if Luke and Poe and even Ahsoka here can see it, obviously others could see it to. Even if they try to ignore it. Rey rests her hand on top of Finn's, caressing the back of it with her thumb._

_"Hmm." Ahsoka hums. "Maybe there's still a chance that things could still be made better."_

_"Huh?" Finn questions. "What do you mean?"_

_"I mean that... perhaps I've been out of this war for too long. There have been many innocent lives lost, with not many people who have been able to fight back. Those who have tried have also been victims of war. But, now that people are beginning to shake off their fear and are ready to stand up to the First Order. Then it's time we rallied them together and prepared for the final strike. We have to tip the scale and bring a balance back to the Force. Not for those who are strong in the Force, but for the next generation as well."_

_Rey looks hopefully at Ahsoka. "So, does this mean you'll train us?"_

_Ahsoka smiles and nods. "It means not only will I train you. It means that I'll join you in this conflict and bring an end to the First Order and the Knights of Ren, Once and for all. That is, if you'll have me."_

_Finn and Rey smile in gratitude at Ahsoka. "Yes." They say in unison._

_Ahsoka then walks pass them and walks towards the mouth of a much deeper and darker cave. "But, in order for both of you to ascend to the level of Knight, you must first find your own Kyber Crystals." Ahsoka direct their attention to the mouth of the deeper cave. "Through here, you'll be tested on how strong your connection is to the Force and two each other. The light inside there will reveal who you are, good and bad. Be careful. It's strong in both the light and Darkside of the Force. Whichever side you belong to, that's the side that will ultimately dominate your path."_

_Finn sighs anxiously. "Do you have anything positive to add?"_

_Ahsoka rests her hands on both Rey and Finn's shoulders. "Remember your bond. It will guide you through your hopes and your fears. And it will aid you when you're selected by your Kyber Crystals."_

_"Wait, what?" Rey says. "What do you mean, 'when we're selected by the Kyber Crystals'? I thought we get to pick them."_

_Ahsoka shakes her head. "Your Crystals_ MUST _select_ YOU _. Now, there's isn't anymore time to waste. Remember to hold on to each other. No matter what you may see, don't allow it to overwhelm you. And the next time I see you, hopefully it'll be with your Crystals."_

_Finn and Rey look at her before turning to one another. Finn holds out his hand, offering it to Rey. Rey, looking down, remember the first time he took her by the hand. She didn't like it, but she soon thereafter got over it. Even offering her hand to him._

_She looks Finn in the eye and smiles. She gladly takes his hand into hers and they enter the cave, soon disappearing from view._

_Ahsoka watches them, while nervously gripping her staff._

 

 

_Rey and Finn walk side by side as they make their way deeper into the inner cave. Holding to Finn's left hand like a security blanket, Rey keeps her eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary._

_"I don't like it when it gets quiet like this." Rey says._

_"Oh, I don't mind the quiet so much." Finn replies. "It's only when you don't see trouble is where things get intension."_

_"Well, I'm stating the obvious, Finn, but we are in a dark cave. If there's something in the darkness, we won't be able to see it coming."_

_"that would be true, but you forget.._ _." Finn says. "...We're walking down a dark cave with the Force acting as our eyes. So, even though it's quiet now, we're not entirely blind. So, we're still okay."  
_

_"Oh, yeah." Rey responds. "Good point. I didn't think of it like that." Rey looks over at Finn with affection present in her eyes. "I'm so glad you're here with me, Finn. Having you around has made the last two years of my life the best yet. Especially, after everything I went through with Snoke on the_ Supremacy _."_

_"Y'know_. _You've never really talked about what happened back there." Finn mentions. "What's got you so on edge, Rey?"_

_"Well, I told you. Snoke invaded my mind, looking for Master Skywalker and tried to kill me, but he didn't."_

_"Right. Well, just to generalize things, but Rey..." Finn stops her. "...Your thoughts. Your memories... They were invaded again. First, by Ren. And then by Snoke. If you would've told me any of this two years ago, I wouldn't been able to help you. But now, I can."_

_Rey doesn't say anything nor does she look at Finn. Too many painful experiences happened seemingly all at once._

_Finn, not one to pressure her into anything, sighs. "Okay. So, you don't have to look at me, but at least hear me out, Rey. If you ever want to get that off your chest, I'm right here. Talking about it might make it easier to heal from."_

_"Or it could make things worse!" Rey fires back. "Look, Finn. I appreciate what it is you're trying to do, but I don't need you to baby me. Alright? I've had to deal with a lot in my life. So, this is just one more thing on top of other things. I can manage it. Don't you worry. I've made it pretty far on my own, so don't feel like you have to look out for me, just because bad things have happened to me. Bad things tend to happen. It's alright. I'll be fine, okay?"_

_Finn doesn't respond._

_"Okay?" Rey looks up when he still doesn't respond. Only, she doesn't see him. Not because it's dark in this cave, but because he simply isn't there! "Finn?" Rey calls out when she notices that she isn't holding his hand anymore. "Finn?!" Rey looks around frantically. "FINN! WHERE ARE YOU?!" A sight of something in the distance draws her attention, causing her eyes to grow wide in fear of whatever she's facing._

 

_"Rey?" Finn asks when she suddenly disappears. Finn flexes his fingers, noticing his isn't holding Rey's hand any longer. "Wha... Where did she go?" Finn asks to no one in particular. Several whispering sounds causing him not to move a muscle. He listens intensely, hoping to track down where the whispers are coming from._

_When he feels two people bump pass him, he looks deeper into the Cave, calling out from them to wait. He runs after them, asking them to slow down. But, before he can say anything else, he trips and falls down a deep hole that was hiding in the darkness. Finn screams as he falls for what seems like a large drop, but he falls down hard on a concentrate floor._

_Surprised he's not at all hurt, he picks himself up by his hands and knees and falls back on his behind. He looks at his hands and carefully flexes his fingers again. Not broken or sprained. He goes to get up by the sound of a familiar voice makes him think twice._

_'You were never going to get away.' A voice-- Snoke's voice says. 'You are not allowed to leave!'_

_Finn then begins to see dark red eyes glowing in the darkness, staring directly at him. He squints, the red lights surrounding him like spotlights. He places his hand over his own eyes to block out the red light when another sound... Something sounding like a growl, draws his attention away from the eyes. The Growling grows louder and coming closer. Finn can't see what it is, but only sees a row of teeth glowing slightly in the dark, right under the red glowing eyes._

_Just then, the sounds of crying deafen the pit Finn's fallen into, and Finn looks around to see that young children have appear out of thin air, cowering and huddling together, trying to stay away from the Teeth as they appear right above Finn's head._

_Opening up wide, Finn is then literally overshadowed by this giant beast as it sinks it's teeth into his neck._

_Finn then springs awake, breathing heavily and checking himself for wounds. He finds none. 'What was that?' He thinks to himself._

_He looks around. He notices that there aren't any more crying, or growling, or... anything for that matter. It just a dark pit. It's just him at the bottom, left alone in silence._

_He looks around, hugging the wall, almost desperate for a way out of there. He looks up to see some light outside the top of the hole he fell down. As he pushes himself up to his feet, he feels something on the rocky surface. He feels around and notices something that feels... nothing like the rocks surrounding his feet. It kinda feels like... Ribs?! Eye sockets?! Skeletons?!_

_Using the Force, he enhances his vision as sees the pit is full of skeletons of various people and species of Aliens. Finn's eyes are filled of sorrow for the many who never made it off of Peira. So many dead, and they all died searching for the Kyber Crystals. But, why? Why didn't they survive?_

 

 

_Bodies! Everywhere Rey looks, there are bodies! Her eyes well up with tears with the images of seeing so many people litter her path as she continues on even deeper into the cave. Only now, she's alone again._

_Many of the corpses are laying face down or away from Rey's sight. But, she's too busy trying to figure out where they are all dead in the first place. And why are there bodies here? Where these some of the people who survived the gravity of Piera, who came here looking for Kyber Crystals, who've found only their graves in the dirt instead? If that's the case, is that why Ahsoka can't..._

_Ahsoka?! Wait... What did she say about the cave?_

"The light inside here will reveal who you are, good and bad. Be careful. It's strong in both the light and Darkside of the Force. Whichever side you belong to, that's the side that will ultimately dominate the path you strive."

_'Could this mean that... I could've done this?' Rey wonders. 'Or does she mean I can still do this?'_

_Rey continues on. But, the sight of a familiar face causes Rey to stop. She kneels down to see who it is. She raises out and tilts the head to see..._

_Rey jumps back, not believing her eyes._

_One of the dead bodies in here, is that of Han Solo._

_Tears begin to stream down Rey's cheek, as she is deeply troubled at the sight of her Father figure lying here in the dirt. With a terrible wound in his chest._

_Luke Skywalker lies cut in half, his wounds Cauterized._

_Leia Organa lays in a pool of blood, quite possibly her own._

_R_ _ey looks up to see more familiar faces: Rose Tico, Maz Kanata, Poe Dameron, Chewie (?)_

_'No!' Rey thinks to herself as she shuts her eyes and keeps them closed tightly. 'This isn't real! My Friends aren't all gone! Chewie's just outside in the Falcon! Poe, Rose, and Maz should be on Coruscant by now. And Finn's here with me. It's just the Darkside in this place, making me see things. They're still here._

_Rey opens her eyes to see... Not dead bodies... But Seven People, dressed in black, and they're all standing around her._

_"So, you saw right through the cave's illusions." Kylo Ren, now wearing his mask, moves to stand right in front of her. "How nice for you. You're not as pathetic as I thought." Kylo Ren says as he removes his mask. "But, it doesn't matter. Nothing you do with stop what we have planned for the Resistance. After all, you couldn't save Solo, Skywalker, or Organa! How would you possibly be able to save your Friends? Your... Finn?"_

_"Just save it." Rey tells the fake Kylo Ren. "You're not even there. If you were, you'd know nothing you say would stop me from doing what I have to. Or from taking that lightsaber and taking your head off with it! Now, leave me alone! Finn and I have some business to settle."_

_"I'm not really here?" Kylo asks, watching Rey walk away. As Rey turns a corner, she finds Kylo Ren alright standing there, in her way again. "Are you sure about that?"_

_Kylo then draws his lightsaber and ignites it._

_Feeling the heat of the battle, Rey's eyes stare down at it in confusion. 'This isn't real.' She reminds herself. 'It isn't real.'_

_"'This isn't real?' Are you really certain about that?" Kylo asks, after reading her thoughts. "Your thoughts betray you. I can sense doubt in your mind. Here. Allow me to put any doubts to rest."_

_He swings his lightsaber, burning Rey's face._

_Shock, pain, shearing, confusion, sorrow, anger, and fear swarm Rey all at once. She's really not sure of what's going on. All that matters to her right now is survival. Kylo raises his cross guard above his head, intending to cut her right down the middle._

_Her instincts causes her to reach for the lightsaber before he pulls that off. 'It's feels... real.' Rey thinks to herself. 'But, it can't be real.'_

_"Oh, it can be." Kylo says. "And, it's going to be heartbreaking for you when you realize you're powerless to stop us."_

_Rey struggles to hold Ren back on her own, so she closes her eyes. Connecting to the Force, Rey pushes Ren back, throwing himself up against the  opposite side of the cave._

_Immediately, the other six knights attack her._

_She then pushes them all back and uses the force to grab Lady Zephra's Light Rapier, holding it out in front of her._

_She is once again surrounded and attacked by the 6 Knights of Ren, and she braces herself for their onslaught._

_Seamlessly, she blocks and counters with thrusts and high and low swings. Dropping them all until she finds Kylo standing behind her._

_He cuts her arm, causing her to yell in pain and she spins around to fight him._

_He twirls the light blade around before charging at her, going to cut her head off. She dodges to her left, countering by cutting him in his side._

_Kylo grunts in pain as he gives her a death stare, glaring right into her eyes._

_He charges again, coming even closer to cut her in two. She once again dodges and counters with a slash across his right cheek._

_Kylo holds his face as he growls, never once lowering his eyes away from Rey's._

_In a move of blind aggression, he attacks her again and Rey successes in doing to him what he failed to do to Luke. She had cut him clean in two. Kylo falls down, dead._

_Deactivating the Rapier in her hand, Rey turns to confirm the dead, but instead sees nothing._

_She frowns before remembering that none of that really happened. It was all in her mind._

_But, then she feels a strong grip around her neck. She drops the Rapier and struggles to loosen the grip of  something that isn't even there. She doesn't understand what's happening._

_She drops to her knees, quickly running out of air. She looks to her left to see Kylo Ren, standing above someone on their knees. Kylo still has that other Scar that Rey gave him, but he was standing on his two feet._

_"Still, you doubt." Kylo Ren says. "It seems it's take just a little more to convince you of what's going on."_

_Kylo Ren ignites his lightsaber, and the red blade reveals Finn's bruised Face._

_"Finn?" Rey calls out._

_"Finn?" Kylo mocks. He looks down at him, as if he was double checking to make sure he wasn't seeing things. (Of course, he knew Finn was on his knees. He was just taunting Rey further.)_ _"Are you sure he's really here?" Kylo leans down to level his eyes to Finn's. "Maybe we ought make sure, hmm?"_

_Kylo runs the edge of his Crossguard against Finn's stomach and he groans in agony._

_Rey clutches her own stomach, feeling Finn's pain._   _When she looks up, her eyes have grown eyes, signaling that she thinks that this is really happening._

_"Looks like you've finally got your answer, Rey!" Kylo says. "Now, what are you going to do about it?"_

_Kylo holds his Lightsaber about Finn's head._

_"NO!" Rey calls out. "Please, don't do it!"  
_

_"No? This man is a Traitor! And worse yet, He's Force Sensitive. What would that benefit the First Order?"_

_"You can't. He's done nothing to you!" Rey pleads._

_"Oh, you're quite wrong about that. You see, this man abandoned us. Caused Starkiller base to be destroyed. He's joined the Resistance. He's killed Phasma. All of that could have been overlooked, but when he became a Jedi... His fate was sealed."_

_"No. You can... You can take me. But, please don't hurt him. I'll come with you."_

_"NO." Kylo says firmly. "You've already made your choice back on the_ Supremacy _. Now, all you have... All you love will be destroyed! All because you had no sense of vision for what the Galaxy could be! Well, now none of your friends in the Resistance will live to see it. They will all be cut down one by one! Starting with the man you called 'Lover' here!"_

_"NO! Kylo, Stop!!" Rey demands._

_"You know you have to stop me. But, the question is: will you stop me?"_

_Kylo tightens his grip on the light saber._

_Rey gets to her feet. And despite the Force Grip she feels around her neck, Rey sprints to Finn. But, instead of going closer, Rey isn't moving at all. She tries with all her might to get to Finn, but she seems to be running in place. She's no closer to Finn since she's getting to her face. And the fact that she's almost out of air isn't helping._

_Kylo swings his blade down, stabbing Finn in the chest. Finn gasps. And Rey is free of whatever was holding her back or choking her. before Rey can get to Kylo, Kylo looks up, smiling at her. He then pulls the Light saber out of Finn's chest._

_Rey falls forward onto her knees, stopping Finn from falling face first to the ground._

_"FINN! No, please! I'm so sorry! I couldn't... Finn, please! Hold on!" Rey's voice breaks. "Please, don't leave me! I can't lose you too!"_

_Just above Rey's head, Kylo stands there, watching her wailing with a look of pure delight in his eyes._

 

 

_Meanwhile, the real Finn slides back down into the pit yet again, determined to get out but failing again. He hits the wall in frustration when he gets back up on his feet. he exhales angrily as he tries to figure out how he's gonna get out of there when he hears someone crying. Someone who's... His eyes glances up to the walls of the cave. Outside the pit Finn's in. Someone in need of help._

_After taking a deep breath, Finn tries again. Just like when he scaled the Crystal wall outside, He finds handholds and tests them to see if they're strong enough to hold him as he makes his way up._

_'At least the rocks aren't those sharp-as-hell Crystal shards!' Finn thinks to himself._

_Images of those red eyes appear hovering over him, staring down at him._

_He closes his eyes and shuts his head, trying to ignore the hellish glare he sees in them._

_"Where do you think you're going, Child?" Snoke's voice whispers. "My reach extends far across of the Galaxy. There's nowhere you can go to get away from me."_

_Finn cringes as the illusion's words echo in his ears. He knows Snoke's not there, but it doesn't help that his voice is directly speaking into his head._

_"I made you. You belong to me. My First Order gave you purpose and now you WILL fight for that purpose. Fight with all that you have to see my dream to take hold of everything has been made real!"_

_"Shut up!" Finn yells. "Stop yelling in my ear! You're not even there! You're dead. So, why don't you start acting like it?!"_

_"Dead, yes." Snoke's voice says. "But, I'm anything but gone. You will use your connection to the Force will see to the destruction of Kylo Ren. It's the only way to ensure the peace you and your foolish allies have been seeking for so long! But, you MUST also fight for me! You must avenge me! Give him the death he's been asking for. End his suffering now and forever."_

_"Why in the hell would I do that, HUH?!?" Finn demands._

_"Because... It's the only way to save your Family." The Voice says._

_Finn stops halfway out of the cave._   _"That's a lie. I don't have any family."_

_"Are you so certain?" The Voice asks. "Are you really so sure that you are without any kin? Would you deny yourself and ignore the possibilities? Deny me my request, and you'll never know the truth."_

_'That can't be.' Finn thinks to himself._   _'The First Order Stormtroopers are not in the habit of leaving survivors. There's no way that his family (His immediate family, at least) would've survived their encounter with any 'troopers who came to take children away. And even if they did, how would anyone know where they were? Would they've kept tabs on them? Maybe place them in prisons or work houses? Sweatshops or put them through Stormtrooper Recruitment? There are too many possible place where his Family could've wound up. And none of them good._

_He then quickly takes a look around and remembers where he is. He's hanging on a cliff way on his way out of a pit. He's in the Crystal tower's cave, searching for his Kyber Crystal with Rey._

 

_Finn climbs out of the pit and leans over to catch his breath._

_He looks up to see a force projection of the image of the late Supreme Leader Snoke._

_'How would the cave know what Snoke looks like? There's no way it... OH! Maybe that's what Ahsoka meant before. About how the cave can reveal things about you in both the light and Darkside of the Force.'_

_"Well, what'll be, FN-2187?" The Image asks impatiently. "Will you accept my generous offer of me leading you to your Family, after you've done what I've asked?"_

_"Killing Kylo Ren out of Revenge for you?" Finn says. "I don't think so. But, stopping him in order to protect the Galaxy? Only if it comes to that. I will not hunt him down out of angry. I will not fight for you or the First Order. I've already made up my mind. The First Order will fall right along with Kylo and his Knights."_

_"But, would you fight for your family?" Snoke ponders._

_"My Family is fighting to rid the Galaxy of the mistake that YOU have allowed to happen. And She's in here with me."_

_Snoke sighs in frustration. "Your 'Family' has made a mess of the vision that I have for the Galaxy. However, your family-- that is, your real Family-- is helping in turning the tide against Darth Vader's pathetic excuse of an heir. They will be the one who will help guide the Galaxy into a new age of the First Order."_

_"Where are they?" Finn questions. "What are they working on?"_

_"Join me, and you'll find out. Refuse me and you'll never know."_

_Finn begins to wonder about this whole situation. Since he was a child, he was often reminded that his family was dead. But, now Snoke's just revealed that not only are they not dead, they're supposedly working against Kylo Ren's version of the First Order. It sounds a little too good to be true. And as the old saying goes, when it does, it usually isn't._

_But, this new news has him asking questions now. He looks up to see that this ghostly image of Snoke is walking around him. The vibe of having this Apparition makes Finn's skin crawl. This maybe an illusion, but damn, does it feel like he's actually here._

_Before Finn can say anything, he hears another scream. His attention is called to the voice that came from behind him._

_Remembering that he isn't in here alone, he reaches out to Rey through their Force bond. He closes his eyes and concentrates on her beautiful face and lovely voice._

_She's screaming. Crying. Heartbroken of someone she loves lying motionless on the ground. A closer look and Finn sees that she's kneeling over a..._

_Dead Finn?!? While Kylo Ren is standing over her._

_Now, he can't see Rey, but he can still feel her through the Force. He can sense Snoke, although it's an image created by the Force inside this tower. But, he can't sense Kylo. This is so strange. None of this is making any sense._

_Well, all that does matter to him is that the woman he loves is in trouble. So, he's got to her to snap out of her illusion's grip before it takes her to places she can't come back from._

_So, He reaches out to her through the Force. From his line of sight, Rey should be right there in the Cave with him. But, when he opens his eyes, he doesn't see her. But, he can feel her. He feels her as if she's right next to him._

_However, she's currently being blocked from view, thanks to the Power of the Force in the Tower._

_'Rey.' Finn calls out telepathically. 'Rey, can you hear me?'_

_Rey doesn't respond, still sobbing over her lover's dead body._

_'Rey, that's not me. It's the Cave playing against your fears. You've gonna snap out of it!'_

_"Stop it!" Rey yells out, causing Finn to flinch. "I just wanna be alone with him!"_

_Finn stares down at her, frowning. 'Rey, this isn't real! Not of it! I'm still here! I'm right behind you! That's not me!'_

_Rey looks up at the mirage of Kylo Ren raising his lightsaber above his head._

_"This is what you want?" Rey asks 'him'. "Do you really wanna to destroy everything your family has built?"_

_"My 'Family'..." He says in a disgusted tone. "...Was undoing what my Grandfather had done. If not for his weakness as Anakin Skywalker, he would've ruled the Galaxy with his raw strength! I will NOT make the same mistake."_

_Finn looks between Rey and the false Kylo Ren. "Rey! Rey, listen to me!"_

_"Well, then. Go ahead." Rey says. "Do it! Let me be with him!"_

_Kylo prepares to swing the Lightsaber down upon her head._

_"Rey, It's not real!" Finn says pleadingly._

_Rey lowers her head, accepting her fate._

_Kylo smiles a demonic smile as he drops the Lightsaber down._

_"REYYYYY!!!!!" Finn screams._

_Rey opens her eyes in shock. She looks down at 'Finns' body, wondering as if she were hearing things. "Finn?"_

_"Rey! Rey, listen!" Finn pleads. "This vision you're seeing! It isn't real! It's all an illusion."_

_"But, how? I can still feel the lightsaber burning me."_

_"It's the Strength of the Force inside the Tower." Finn says._

_"The tower?" Rey asks. "We're... We're still inside the tower?" She says questioningly._

_"Yes. We're still here. Still looking for our crystals."_

_"But,..." Rey looks down, gently squeezing 'Finn's' Shoulders. "I can feel you. This doesn't make any sense."_

_"The Darkside in the Cave is playing with your fears. If you don't snap out of it now, you'll be lose along with all the others who came for the Kyber crystals and failed."_

_Finn can see that Rey's eyes are filled with doubt and confusion._

_"Rey, look up at Kylo again. And you'll se what I'm talking about."_

_"What happens if I do?" Rey challenges._

_"You'll see. Just... Just trust me." Finn says._

_Rey looks around, her eyes wary of traps. "I hope you're not another voice just messing with me. I hope that's actually you, Finn."_

_"It's me, my Darling. It's me."_

_Rey does as Finn asks and sees Kylo just standing there. His lightsaber hovering in the air. Not moving a single muscle. Just standing as still as a statue._

_Rey gasps._

_"There, you see? Now, that you know that none of this is real, the illusion's lost it's hold over you."_

_"And that means..."_

_"_ _Now, you can be guided out of your vision and claim your Kyber Crystal! You're one of the ones who's passed, Rey!"_

_Rey closes her eyes and lowers her head. She's breathing regularly now and a little smile spreads across her face. "Looking at it now, it's amazing just how strong the Force is and how it affects everything around it. And I would've never made it out of this without you. Thank you, Finn. Thank you for always being there."_

_"Never a problem, My love." Finn says._

_"How did you figure it out?" Rey questions._

_"When I was trapped in a pit, I noticed some many skeletons scattering around inside. Interesting thing was that not of them seemed to suffer any wounds or any illnesses. It had to be the grip of the Darkside in here that held them down until they just... died. Seeing the fake Kylo Ren over you is what made me see how it works. If you couldn't see that he was an illusion before he struck you, then you would've been too far gone to come back."_

_"An illusion of the Darkside that proves stronger that the one who's one with that same Force will be lost in it's grip until death."_

_"The Mind gets trapped and the body eventually dies. Right." Finn says._

_Rey shakes her head slightly. "That's... terrifying. All the more reason why a Force bond is necessary in order to complete this part of the Journey._ _So, now what? How do we got out of this?"_

_Finn looks around the cave, lost in thought. The image of Rey holding him... Or, rather a dying illusion of him warms his heart a little. The thought of dying in her arms was something he hopes he never actually does, since he plans on spending the rest of his life with her. But if... IF it were to happened, he wouldn't have it any other way._

_That gives him an idea. "Rey, I want you to focus on me. Tap into our Bond and join me in my thoughts."_

_Rey nods and closes her eyes, doing as Finn requested._

 

 

_When Rey opens her eyes again, she sees Finn standing right in front of her._

_"My love!" She calls out, running into his arms._

_Finn chuckles as he holds her close._

_Rey smiles as she feels his warm and inhales his familiar scent. She may only be in his mind, but she knows it's him. It's her man in her arms. "It's you!" Rey says definitively. "It's really you!"_

_"See?" Finn asks. "I told you."_

_Rey pulls back and pecks Finn's lips. She then caresses his cheek. "Look at you. Such a beautiful man."_

_Finn blushes. "Oh, come on."_

_"No, I'm serious. You are! And you're all mine."_

_"I'm all yours."_

_Rey smiles at him before she takes a look around their surroundings. She notices for the first time that they're both standing in complete darkness. Yet, she can see him, as plain as day._

_"Where are we?" Rey asks._

_"Standing on the Bridge between our minds."  Finn answers._

_Rey looks back at him, puzzled._

_"Sorry." Finn says._

_Rey playfully rolls her eyes._

_"_ _I just can't wrap my head around something."_

_"What?" She asks._

_"I was raised in the Darkside, thanks to Snoke. But, I was able to see through the illusion that the Tower presented me with. So, how come you couldn't?"_

_Rey lowers her eyes, not looking at Finn. "I think that that's my fault."_

_Finn frowns at her. "Huh? I don't understand."_

_Rey, too ashamed to even look at Finn, explains. "There was a cave, back on Ach-to, that was also connected to the Darkside. I tried to use that cave to find answers as to who my parents are. Hoping that it could lead me to them. But, it didn't. Partially because I don't remember them. If I had, it might've used them as a ploy to draw me in."_

_Finn looks at Rey sympathetically. He knows just how much Rey wants to know who her family is and where to find them. He just wishes that he could use the Force to find them for her, so that he can make her happy._

_Rey snaps out of her fog and looks up at Finn again. "Anyway, what's was your vision about?"_

_"Oh!" Finn also snaps to attention. "Well, it was more of a nightmare than a vision. I was reminded of how when I was a child, I was standing with a bunch of other children, coming face to face with Snoke for the first time. I was staring into the face of death itself."_

_"I know what you mean." Rey says. "I don't know how anyone could choose to serve him. That man was so wicked, it was like he shouldn't have ever existed in real life."_

_"People served him because of the same reason they serve Kylo today: fear. Fear is what drives so many to stand with people like Snoke and Ren. Even when they want to rebel."_

_Rey gives Finn the same look he gave her just moments ago. "I think you're incredibly brave for running away, Finn. That took real courage."_

_"Hmm." Finn says. "That was the plan in the beginning, but the time for running is over. We're so close to finding the end of our Journey and ending this war, I can already see it."_

_"Yes." Rey agrees. "Once we do, I hope that your offer of disappearing will be still on the table."_

_Finn nods. "It is."_

_"But, I gotta know, Finn." Rey says. "Even if you knew that your 'nightmare' wasn't real, were you scared at all?"_

_"Yeah, I was. In fact, I haven't been that shaken up since Crait."_

_"I know. That was intense." Rey says._

_Finn looks up, realizing that Rey doesn't know what he was referring to._

_Rey, then sensing that thing was off, turns to Finn again. "Wait. What exactly happened on Crait?"_

_"We were all under attack by the First Order. It was a stressful day."_

_Rey agrees, but she isn't buying it._

_"Hey, we should... Find our crystals and get out of here, huh?"_

_Finn..." Rey says firmly. "...What happened back on Crait?"_

_Finn sighs. "The First Order had a massive cannon, intended on blasting a hole in the base everyone was holding up in, so I took an old rust bucket and... tried to ramp the cannon while it was charging."_

_"You tried to kill yourself?!" Rey chokes up._

_"I was just trying to help..."_

_"No, Finn!" Rey shouts. "Why is this the first time I'm hearing about this? What were you thinking?!"_

_"I couldn't let the First Order beat us! We couldn't fight back with what we had, so I made a choice."_

_"So,..." Rey's eyes go wide, as she read his thoughts. "Is that why you feel guilty about what happened to Rose? She almost killed herself, trying to save you?"_

_Finn doesn't say anything._

_"You realized you'd be dead right now." Rey says. "And, it wouldn't resolve a damn thing!"_

_"Rey..."_

_"NO! Finn, you can't do that again!" Rey's voice breaks. "You can't go throwing your life away without even thinking about the people who love you! Poe, Maz, Rose, Leia, Chewie, ME!!" Rey whimpers silently. "I've lost so much, because of the First Order! Because of Kylo Ren! Finn, I can't lose you, too! Not to them! Especially, not to Kylo!"_

_Behind Rey, a small light shines in the darkness._

_Finn gestures behind Rey, but Rey continues her harangue until she finally asks 'WHAT?!' Finn points over her shoulder, and Rey follows his finger until she sees it. But, soon one small light becomes two._

_Rey and Finn go to investigate as the small lights hover in the darkness of their surrounding, like two bright stars in a pitch black sky._

_Just as they stand below these lights, both Finn and Rey reach up and suddenly the lights shine so brightly, that they both have to shield their eyes at their intensity._

 

 

_Outside the cave, Ahsoka waits impatiently for the two young ones to return._

_And before too long, she sees two lights shining in the darkness of that cave._

_Her eyes go wide at the sight of Finn and Rey, holding their Kyber crystals in the palms of their hands while they were holding hands with each other._

_She approaches them, with a smile on her face as she proudly proclaims, "At last! The Jedi have been reborn this day!"_

_Finn and Rey smile happily at her before they smile at each other, resting against the other's forehead._

 

 

_On Coruscant, Poe and the Crew of "The Crusade" Receives word from Chewie, finally. 'Rey and Finn are now officially Jedi Knights. We're on our way to Coruscant, ETA 46 hours.'_

_Poe makes the announcement, causing everyone onboard to cheer._

_And, the news makes Rose blush. Wolfe can't help but notice._

 

 

_Across the Galaxy, Kylo's life boat arrives at a warship called "The Demigod"._

_Inside, on the loading dock, Stormtroopers, as well as three people in masks and black hoods, stand surrounding the ship, awaiting their Supreme Leader to grace them with his presence._

_Kylo then steps off of the ship the moment the ramp touches the floor. He steps over to the other three Knights and addresses them by name._

_"Oz." Kylo says, as Oz nods in acknowledgement. "Vas. Garza" They both also nod to their Brother/Supreme Leader. "What's the stasis of our Fleet's progression to Enori?"_

_"They are currently closing in, My Lord." Vas Answers. "We've just received word that Pso's fleet has just arrived within Coruscant's space, awaiting further instructions."_

_"Have her wait." Kylo orders. "Both Zephra and Varamoth should be there momentarily. When they do, the three of them are to ambush the crew of the Crusade and bring them up to interrogation. The Desert girl and the traitor won't be too far away when they sense their friends' pain through the Force."_

_"As you order, Supreme Leader." Vas says._

_Kylo stops in his tracks, and turns back to face the three of them again. "The end of this war is near, Brothers. We cannot allow the Resistance anymore time to prepare. We need to crush them before they find the location of Enori. This is top priority!"_

 

 

_As they enter the War room, Kylo stands under a giant monitor of a young Latina woman, dressed in the same black robes as that of the Other Rens. This is Pso Ren._

_"My Lord. We have eyes on the enemy." Pso reports._

_Oz, Garza, and Vas all remove their helmets, and stare upward at their Sister._

_"Good. And Zephra and Varamoth?" Kylo questions._

_"Present, my Lord." Varamoth says, his helmet removes to reveal an older gentleman with one blind eye and a scar running down from the upper left top of his forehead, down across his nose, stopping at the bottom of his right cheek._

_Zephra, a young, beautiful brown skinned woman, stands to Pso's left side as Varamoth stands to her right._

_"Do you have a plan on how to approach our targets?" Kylo questions, sounding cautiously of any undesirable answers._

_"We do. Wait until dark, and trap them inside their hiding spot." Zephra says._

_"Where are they, currently?" Oz questions._

_"The old Jedi Temple on Coruscant." Varamoth smiles. "A fitting place to end the last Jedi."_

_"Hmm." Kylo smiles back. "Yes. Good. We're on our way to Enori. And when we see you, we'll end all of it. See you soon, Brother. My Sisters."_

 

 

_The Monitor on Pso's ship cuts off and the three knights there frown in disgust._

_"Yes. We will end it here." Varamoth says._

_"The end of Kylo Ren and the First Order." Pso says._

_"And the beginning of the age of Ren." Zephra declares._

_Pso smiles as she places her hands on the  back of Zephra's neck and pulls her in for a kiss._

_Varamoth walks over to the window, leaving the love birds to themselves. He stares out a Coruscant, a smile spreading across his face._

_"Together, We'll make all things right... My Lord Snoke."_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here are the faces of the Characters that I envisioned for MY Star Wars Episode IX: The Order Reborn. In case you're interested.
> 
> Ahsoka Tano- Angela Basset  
> Zephra Ren- Tessa Thompson  
> Varamoth Ren- Michael Keaton  
> Pso Ren- Lina Esco  
> Garza Ren- Dave Bautista  
> Oz Ren- Dominic West  
> Vas Ren- Edi Gathegi  
> Wolfe Gustin- Michael Fassbender

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment and share your thoughts!


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